SOCORRO, N.M. (KRQE) – A job assistance company has agreed to pay $125,000 to settle a federal employee discrimination lawsuit. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) brought the lawsuit against the facility in Socorro.
EEOC claims Res-Care/Equus failed to provide accommodations for an employee with a high-risk pregnancy and related disabilities. Res-Care/Equus also fired the individual, allegedly for attending a medical appointment, EEOC says.
Facing those claims in a federal lawsuit, the workforce company agreed to give $125,000 in back pay and compensation. Res-Care/Equus will also have to undergo training to boost recognition of their employees’ needs, according to EEOC.
“A company’s strict enforcement of its leave policies may violate federal legal protections for pregnant workers and workers with disabilities,” EEOC Regional Attorney Mary Jo O’Neill of the Phoenix District Office, said in a press release. “Employers have a legal obligation to provide reasonable accommodations, such as additional leave or modification to existing company leave policies, to make it possible for workers with high-risk pregnancies to continue to work. While this case was brought under Title VII, which has been protecting pregnant workers for decades, it highlights the need for more education of employers as to the broader protections now afforded under the new Pregnant Workers Fairness Act.”
