The agency said Jamie Mendoza applied in May 2020 to work as a garbage truck driver. According to the EEOC, company managers told Mendoza during her interview that female drivers had not worked out in the past and that the company would have to build a locker room with a shower for female drivers if she were hired.
The EEOC alleged that after Mendoza indicated she wanted the job, the company rejected her application and hired a less-qualified male for the position. The company did not have any female drivers at the time, according to the agency.
The suit also alleged that since at least March 2020, Republic Services routinely failed to hire qualified female applicants for driver positions because of their sex.
"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."
The EEOC said the alleged conduct violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The agency filed the case, EEOC v. Allied Services, LLC, Case No. 23-3308-MDH, in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri after attempting to resolve the matter through its administrative conciliation process.
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."