On Tuesday, the EEOC announced
a $3.6M settlement with a Cleveland employer to resolve a class action sex
discrimination lawsuit alleging that the employer had discriminated against women
applying for entry-level warehouse positions in Cleveland and Detroit.
The
suit was resolved by a five-year consent decree entered by Judge Donald C.
Nugent on Oct. 16, 2018. Under the terms of the decree, Sherwood will pay $3.6
million to a class of females identified by the EEOC, and the company must
offer jobs to at least 150 women identified by the agency during the claims
process. The consent decree establishes hiring goals designed to increase the
percentage of females hired for entry-level warehouse positions and maintain a
higher representation of females in those positions over a period of years.
The
decree also requires Sherwood to create and produce to the EEOC electronic data
such as applicant flow logs, and to disclose the number of female and male
applicants who seek entry-level warehouse positions, the number of females and
males hired for such positions, and the company's progress in meeting hiring
goals. The EEOC will monitor Sherwood's hiring practices and the company's
compliance with the decree for five years.
