33rd ADA Anniversary Celebrated

Saturday, July 29, the Americans with Disabilities Act was celebrated at Fernandez Plaza in front of City Hall. Several disabilities service providers did activities and had giveaways. Participants who completed over half of the activities got a cookie from Baked! Commissioner Steve Coover (right), who staffed the Bloomington/Monroe County Human Rights Commission table, asked questions about the ADA to participants. More than 530 people attended the celebration.

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August 26 - Women's Equality Day

August 26, 1971, brought the ratification of the 19th Amendment, guaranteeing the right to vote to women and thus brought forth the very first Women’s Equality Day. Citing such successes as the Woman Suffrage Amendment, which was signed into law on August 26, 1920, the National Organization for Women assisted with the organization of a Women’s Strike for Equality, an effort that would take place on a national level and become the largest protest for gender equality in our nation’s history. One year later, Women’s Equality Day was successfully introduced in the form of a bill and is still celebrated as a day to symbolize the continued fight for equal rights for women and the support of the Country in that fight. 

For more information: tinyurl.com/NWHMWomensEqualityDay

A decades-old Supreme Court decision was unanimously altered for clarification when a 10-year employee of the U.S. Postal Service quit his job due to the requirement to deliver packages on Sundays. The original decision allowed employers to deny accommodations if they believed it would cause more than a small inconvenience. The modifications to this ruling are intended to prompt employers to meet a higher standard of inconvenience when determining whether to approve or deny an employee’s request as it pertains to religious accommodations. The term “undue hardship” was redefined in this decision and is to now be known as anything causing a substantial burden in the overall context of the employer’s business. 

For More Information: tinyurl.com/ReligiousRightsAtWork

Tech Company Sued for Discriminating Against a Deaf Applicant

Tech Machindra (Americas) Inc. has been sued by the EEOC after allegedly ending an interview and refusing to hire an applicant after finding out he was deaf. According to the suit, the applicant utilized a sign language interpreter during his interview with the company, prompting the interviewers to stop the interview and refuse to hire him on the spot. A follow-up email to the applicant stated that an on-site interpreter would be challenging, regardless of the applicant’s skill set. The candidate informed the employer of virtual interpretation options with the use of technology, and the employer still refused to move forward in the hiring process. The EEOC is seeking back pay, compensatory and punitive damages, and injunctive relief to prevent further discriminatory actions in the hiring process. 

For More Information: tinyurl.com/EEOCvTechMachindra

Colorado Labor Union Settles Sexual Harassment Suit

Female Truck Drivers in Mississippi to Receive Scholarships in Sex Discrimination Settlement

USF Holland, LLC has been ordered to pay almost $500,000 and provide $120,000 in scholarships after the EEOC found that only one female had been hired by the company since its opening in 1986, though a significant amount of qualified female applicants have applied. The three-year consent decree stipulates that, among several other things, the company will establish a scholarship fund in the amount of $120,000 to be awarded in $10,000 increments quarterly to female applicants wishing to obtain the appropriate licensure through USF’s training program. 

For More Information: tinyurl.com/EEOCvUSFHolland

Three New Jersey Supermarkets Ordered to Pay Over $1.8 Million in Back Wages and Damages

226 Workers will receive part of a $1.8 million settlement in Hackensack, Oakland, and Waldwick, New Jersey in conjunction with an investigation by the Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division. Giant Farmers Market’s locations in the three towns were found to have refused overtime pay to the workers via various methods. Over $917,000 in back wages and an equal amount in liquidated damages was recovered in the investigation and over $80,000 in civil money penalties was also assessed to the supermarkets. 

For More Information: tinyurl.com/VineyardPaySettlement

New Mexico Inn Settles Color, Race, and National Origin Harassment Suit

Whitten Inn, located in Taos, New Mexico, was ordered to pay $87,000 in compensatory damages to settle a harassment suit that charged the company with color, race, and national origin harassment. Larry Whitten, the former owner of the inn, was said to have subjected Hispanic employees to discrimination and a hostile work environment; discriminatory acts include poor treatment, racial slurs, a no-Spanish policy, and forcing employees to use an anglicized name versus their given names. Several employees were terminated or quit due to retaliation after complaining about the behavior. 

For more information: tinyurl.com/EEOCvWhittenInn

Three Mechanics in Texas Subjected to Racial Discrimination and Harassment

Liberty Energy, Inc., has found itself at the center of an EEOC lawsuit after one Black and two Hispanic workers were subjected to a racially charged and hostile work environment. The company, operating as Liberty Oilfield Services, LLC, in Odessa, Texas, neglected to address the discriminatory treatment after the workers reported derogatory terms such as the N-word and other slurs, such as “beaner” and “wetback,” were being used in the workplace. The Black worker was reportedly subjected to undesirable work tasks and isolating conditions after reporting the disparate treatment, forcing him to resign. The EEOC is seeking back pay, compensatory and punitive damages, and injunctive relief. 

For more information: tinyurl.com/EEOCvLibertyOilfieldSvcs

Honorable Justice Ketanji Jackson Brown Responds to Supreme Court Ruling

After the Supreme Court’s decision surrounding race-conscious college admissions programs, Honorable Justice Ketanji Jackson Brown issued a profound and passionate statement. Calling the decision “unmoored from critical real-life circumstances” (600 U.S. ___[2023] Jackson, J., dissenting), Justice Brown urges Americans to “stare at racial disparity unblinkingly, and then do what evidence and experts tell us is required to level the playing field and march forward together, collectively striving to achieve true equality for all Americans.” 

For more information: tinyurl.com/JusticeJacksonBrownResponse

The City of Bloomington's Community and Family Resources Department has a plethora of newsletters for its various programs, in addition to Rights Stuff. From a newsletter for the Council of Community Accessibility to a newsletter dedicated to Global Youth Service Day, there's something for everyone! Check them all out on a list from which you can select and subscribe!

Subscribe: tinyurl.com/cfrdnewsletters

If you feel you have been discriminated against, you can contact the BMCHRC by calling (812) 349-3429 or by emailing us at human.rights@bloomington.in.gov. Or you can submit an online initial intake form and someone will get back to you as soon as possible.

Intake: tinyurl.com/bhrcintake