Company wouldn’t rehire woman who filed pregnancy discrimination complaint, feds say

A company retracted a job offer it had extended to a former employee after realizing that she had previously filed a pregnancy discrimination complaint against them, according to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

The company, Keystone Foods, LLC, offered jobs to 17 former employees for positions at its food processing plant in Eufaula, Alabama, about 175 miles southeast of Birmingham, according to a news release from the commission’s Birmingham District.

The company retracted its job offer to one woman after it found that she had previously filed a complaint of pregnancy discrimination and an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission charge against them, the release says. By doing this, the company violated the Civil Rights Acts, which protects pregnant people from discrimination in the workplace and prohibits employers from retaliating against employees who file discrimination complaints, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said.

Officials announced on Nov. 16 that the company had agreed to pay $60,000 to settle the retaliation lawsuit brought by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the release says.

Tyson Foods, which purchased Keystone Foods in 2018, did not respond to a request for comment from McClatchy News.

As part of the settlement, the company must not discriminate or retaliate against employees protected by the Civil Rights Act, according to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. It also must issue a written statement to all employees at its Eufaula facility stating that it will not violate Title VII of the Civil Rights Act and educate them on how to report complaints of discrimination.

“Retaliation remains the most common type of charge filed with the (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission),” Bradley Anderson, director for the commission’s Birmingham district, said in a statement. “Retaliation claims account for over 56% of the total charges. As this case demonstrates, employers would do well to recognize that Title VII’s anti-retaliation provisions protect both current and former employees.”

This story was originally published November 16, 2022 at 3:05 PM with the headline "Company wouldn’t rehire woman who filed pregnancy discrimination complaint, feds say."