Personnel Staffing Inc. will pay $155,000 to resolve EEOC allegations that the company discriminated against a class of female workers between August 14, 2020 and August 1, 2023, by failing to refer female temporary workers to TCI of Alabama LLC at its Pell City, Alabama location. The EEOC's investigation found that Personnel Staffing violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 when it complied with TCI's sex-biased request for male-only laborers.
"A reminder to employers: Title VII makes it unlawful for an employer to fail or refuse to hire an individual or otherwise treat them differently because of their sex. Staffing agencies can violate Title VII if they comply with a client company's discriminatory request," said Bradley A. Anderson, director of the EEOC's Birmingham District Office. The agency determined that Personnel Staffing's compliance with TCI's discriminatory hiring preferences violated federal employment discrimination law.
Under the settlement agreement reached through the EEOC's pre-litigation conciliation process, Personnel Staffing must pay monetary damages to the affected class of female temporary workers. The company also agreed to revise and disseminate its anti-discrimination policy to instruct employees about their rights and reporting procedures for discrimination, provide annual training to managers and employees on discrimination and retaliation, and implement other injunctive relief measures to prevent future discriminatory conduct.
The Personnel Staffing settlement is part of a broader EEOC enforcement initiative targeting sex discrimination in Alabama's staffing industry. The agency previously settled a retaliation lawsuit against TCI and continues prosecuting two related enforcement actions: a sex discrimination lawsuit against TCI filed in January 2025 (EEOC v. TCI of Alabama, LLC, Civil Action No. 4:25-cv-00089-SGC) and a separate sex discrimination case against WorkSmart Staffing filed in September 2025 (EEOC v. WorkSmart Staffing, LLC, Civil Action No. 4:25-cv-01659-SGC).
"We commend Personnel Staffing, Inc. for its cooperation and undertaking measures to ensure that its employees are not treated differently based on their sex in the future," Anderson stated. The Birmingham District Office, which has jurisdiction over Alabama, Mississippi (except 17 northern counties) and the Florida Panhandle, has made staffing industry discrimination a priority area for enforcement.
The settlement demonstrates the EEOC's continued focus on holding staffing agencies accountable when they facilitate client companies' discriminatory hiring practices. Employment law practitioners note that staffing agencies face liability under Title VII not only for their own discriminatory conduct but also when they act as intermediaries for clients' unlawful hiring preferences, making compliance policies and training particularly critical for companies in the temporary staffing industry.