Skils’kin to Pay $100,000 to Settle EEOC Race Discrimination and Retaliation Case

CHEYENNE, Wyo.– Skils’kin, a non-profit focused on disabilities and employment that operates in Washington, Montana, Oklahoma, and Wyoming, will pay $100,000 and provide other relief to settle a race discrimination lawsuit brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency announced today.

According to the EEOC, the only Black employee on the Skils’kin grounds crew working at Warren Air Force Base in Cheyenne, Wyoming was called various racial slurs by other Skils’kin employees. When the employee complained about the racially offensive statements, Skils’kin assigned him to work directly with the coworker and supervisor who were harassing him. Skils’kin continued to ignore the employee’s complaints and then fired him, despite his multiple years of service, while retaining a white employee hired only three months earlier.

Such alleged behavior violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which protects employees from race discrimination, including race harassment and retaliation in the workplace. The EEOC filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Wyoming (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Skils’kin, Civil Action No. 2:21-CV-185-NDF).

The consent decree settling the suit requires Skils’kin to review and update its race discrimination and non-retaliation policies, as well as post an anti-discrimination notice. The company will also provide trainings on Title VII as well as unlawful race discrimination, race harassment, and retaliation.

In addition, Skils’kin must provide reports to the EEOC detailing its compliance with the terms of the decree and its receipt of any complaints of race discrimination. The decree also requires Skils’kin pay $100,000 to the employee. The court will retain authority to enforce the terms of the decree for its two-year duration.

“Title VII protects employees from race discrimination and guarantees them the right to work in an environment that is free from racial harassment,” said Mary Jo O’Neill, regional attorney of the EEOC’s Phoenix District. “It is the unfortunate reality that race discrimination still plagues many workplaces, including in Wyoming. In 2021, 27.3% of all charges of discrimination filed in Wyoming included a race claim. The EEOC will continue to take legal action to root out such conduct.”

“Retaliation is the most alleged discrimination complaint filed with the EEOC,” said Amy Burkholder, the field director of the EEOC’s Denver Field Office. “In Wyoming, 63.6% of all charges of discrimination filed in 2021 include a retaliation claim. Employees have the right to complain about race discrimination and race harassment in the workplace. And employers have a legal obligation to ensure those employees are not retaliated against for complaining.”

The EEOC’s Phoenix District Office has jurisdiction over Arizona, Colorado, Wyoming, New Mexico, and Utah.

The EEOC advances opportunity in the workplace by enforcing federal laws prohibiting employ­ment discrimination. More information about race discrimination is available at https://www.eeoc.gov/racecolor-discrimination. More information about retaliation is available at https://www.eeoc.gov/retaliation. Stay connected with the latest EEOC news by subscribing to our email updates.