The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) recently filed a federal lawsuit against USF Holland, an LTL carrier and subsidiary of YRC Worldwide, alleging the company has hired “virtually no” females at a facility in Mississippi.
The lawsuit comes after the EEOC and the company were unable to resolve the matter outside of court. The EEOC filed the suit in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi.
Case background
The actions that led to the lawsuit began when USF Holland did not hire a female applicant, Marilyn Hervery. According to the suit, USF Holland declind to hire Hervery and a class of female applicants. Hervery filed a charge with the EEOC alleging USF Holland was guilty of violations of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of membership of a protected class, such as race or gender.
In August 2019, the EEOC sent a letter to the company saying there was reasonable cause to believe the company had, in fact, violated Title VII.
Hervery claims she met all of the qualifications required by the company for a driver position when she applied in May 2014, when the company had five openings. Hervery was told she needed forklift certification during an interview, and got the required certification. However, three male applicants were hired, two of whom interviewed after Hervery, who claims to be at least as qualified as the men hired for the positions.
She further alleges there is a longstanding practice at the facility of only hiring men. USF Holland was unable to produce any records indicating it had hired women as truck drivers since at least 2005, and that the company as a whole has had “virtually no” female employees since its opening in 1986.
For more information about the steps you should take if you believe you’ve been a victim of Title VII discrimination, contact an experienced whistleblower attorney at Kardell Law Group.
