Allied Services, LLC, doing business as Allied Waste Services of the Ozarks / Republic Services of the Ozarks, will pay $200,000 to settle allegations that it discriminated against women seeking garbage truck driver positions at its Springfield, Missouri facility.
The EEOC's lawsuit centered on the company's treatment of Jamie Mendoza, who applied for a driver position in May 2020. According to the complaint, Republic Services managers told Mendoza during her interview that female drivers "had not worked out in the past" and she should "carefully consider whether she wanted the position" because the company would need to build a locker room with shower facilities for female drivers.
When Mendoza indicated she wanted the job, the company rejected her application and hired a less-qualified male candidate. The company had no female drivers at the time, and the EEOC alleged Republic Services routinely failed to hire qualified female applicants for driver positions since at least March 2020.
The EEOC filed suit in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri as EEOC v. Allied Services, LLC, d/b/a Allied Waste Services of the Ozarks / Republic Services of the Ozarks, Case No. 23-3308-MDH, after conciliation efforts failed.
"When employers make hiring decisions based on sex, rather than qualifications, both the employer and the applicants suffer," said Andrea G. Baran, regional attorney for the EEOC's St. Louis District. "The EEOC is committed to enforcing the law to ensure that applicants are not shut out from particular jobs or industries because of their sex."
David S. Davis, district director for the EEOC's St. Louis District Office, said, "Every worker deserves a fair shot at a job regardless of their sex. The EEOC will continue to protect workers from unlawful sex discrimination."