The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company to Pay $20,000 to Settle EEOC Disability Discrimination Suit
Fayetteville Worker Fired Over Bleeding Disorder, Federal Agency Charged
FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. – The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company will pay $20,000 and provide other relief to settle a disability discrimination lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the agency announced today.
According to the EEOC's lawsuit (EEOC v. The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, Civil Action No. 5:11-cv-00468), filed in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina, the EEOC charged that in October 2007, Alisha Adams applied for the position of tire builder at Goodyear's Fayetteville facility and received a conditional offer of employment. During Goodyear's post-offer medical examination, Adams disclosed that she had menorrhagia, a bleeding disorder associated with her menstrual cycle. The complaint alleged that as a result of this disclosure, Goodyear required Adams to obtain medical clearances from two separate physicians who medically cleared her to work. Adams began working for Goodyear at the end of January, 2008. Some three weeks later, Adams told her supervisor that she had a bleeding disorder and was fired as a result, the EEOC alleged.
Such alleged behavior violates the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) which prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability. The EEOC filed suit after first attempting to settle the case through its conciliation process.
In addition to paying $20,000, Goodyear has agreed to re-hire Adams to work at its Fayetteville plant. Goodyear also must take other actions set forth in the two-year consent decree resolving the case, including providing anti-discrimination training to the managers, human resources department and supervisors in the company's Fayetteville plant. Further, the company must post a notice at its Fayetteville plant information concerning employees' rights under federal anti-discrimination laws and must provide periodic reports to the EEOC on its hiring practices.
"The EEOC is committed to fighting discrimination in the workplace," said Lynette A. Barnes, regional attorney for the EEOC's Charlotte District Office. "Employers must be careful not to make assumptions about an individual based on his or her disability."
According to company information, Goodyear is the largest tire manufacturer in North America and Latin America and the second largest in Europe. Goodyear is headquartered in Akron, Ohio, and employs over 69,000 people around the world.
The EEOC enforces federal laws prohibiting discrimination in employment. Further information about the Commission is available on its web site at www.eeoc.gov