EEOC Sues TCI of Alabama for Sex Discrimination

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Delaware-based TCI of Alabama, LLC, a recycler of large items such as transformers and electrical equipment, violated federal employment laws when it discriminated against female job applicants in its Pell City, Alabama, location, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) alleged in a lawsuit filed today.

The EEOC charged that since at least August 1, 2020, TCI has discriminated against a class of female employees by systemically denying them laborer positions because of their sex. The EEOC further alleges that TCI carried out this discrimination by instructing multiple staffing agencies not to place or refer females for TCI’s laborer positions.

Such conduct violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits employers from discriminating based on sex. The EEOC filed suit in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama (EEOC v. TCI of Alabama, LLC, Civil Action No. 4:25-cv-00089-SGC) after attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its conciliation process. The EEOC seeks monetary damages including back pay, compensatory damages, and punitive damages for the class as well as injunctive relief designed to prevent such unlawful conduct in the future.

“The EEOC prioritizes cases where the agency can efficiently and effectively serve the public interest by addressing widespread discrimination,” said EEOC Chair Charlotte A. Burrows. “This case demonstrates that even today, many women still face barriers to obtaining jobs traditionally held by men. Employers cannot deny job opportunities to women based on sex, and the EEOC will not hesitate to act if they do so.”

EEOC Birmingham District Director Bradley Anderson said, “Addressing discriminatory hiring barriers based on sex or any other unlawful consideration is a strategic enforcement priority of the EEOC. When employers construct such barriers to equal employment opportunity, the EEOC will work to strike them down.”

Marsha Rucker, regional attorney for the EEOC’s Birmingham District, said, “Since 1964, federal law has expressly prohibited employers from denying employment opportunities to female workers because of their sex. When employers choose to ignore this law and deny employment opportunities to women—whether directly or through third-party staffing agencies—the EEOC will vigorously defend the promise of equal employment opportunity.”

For more information on sex-based employment discrimination, please visit https://www.eeoc.gov/sex-based-discrimination.

The EEOC’s Birmingham District Office is charged with enforcing federal employment discrimination laws in Alabama, Mississippi (except for 17 northern counties), and the Florida Panhandle.

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