Mail service company DHL Express recently agreed to pay $8.7 million as part of a settlement in a lawsuit that accused them of discrimination against Black employees.
Approved by a Chicago judge this week and announced on Thursday, the $8.7 million settlement is part of a lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commision.
The EEOC claimed that Black employees were given larger, heavier packages to work with while white employees were designated to letter sorting and distribution.
Black employees were also sent to neighborhoods that were deemed to have higher rates of crimes when white employees didn’t want to go to said neighborhoods; while on these routes, they reportedly were victims or witnesses of crimes.
The actions of DHL Express violate Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Passed on June 19, 1964 and signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson on July 2, 1964, Title VII prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, religion, sex or national origin.
With the latest settlement agreement, the $8.7 million will be paid to approximately 83 Black employees taking part in the lawsuit who were subjected to racial discrimination and segregation.
“In this case, the EEOC made no claim that Black workers were paid less than others or denied promotions,” said the attorney for the EEOC’s Chicago District Office, Gregory Gochanour per a statement. “However, segregating employees and giving them unequal work assignments based on their race is just as unlawful. Such practices should not occur in any workplace.”
Members of #Teamsters Local 705 in Chicago have won a $8.7 million racial discrimination lawsuit against DHL Express!
— Teamsters (@Teamsters) April 24, 2024
The suit, filed in 2010 by the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), revealed DHL subjected Black Teamsters in Chicago “to different terms and… pic.twitter.com/RNlzUe3eic
The settlement with DHL Express comes days after the EEOC filed a lawsuit against gas station and convenience store Sheetz for also violating Title VII.
Per the lawsuit, the company, which has approximately 600 open locations, allegedly denied and “disproportionately screened out” Black, Native American and multiracial applicants; the lawsuit, however, doesn’t reportedly allege that race was a motivation in hiring decisions.
According to documentation, Sheetz denied nearly 15% of Black applicants because they had a criminal history; in comparison, only 8% of white applicants with a criminal history were denied employment.
In response to the filing of the lawsuit, Sheetz claimed that they’ve been working alongside the EEOC.
“Sheetz does not tolerate discrimination of any kind,” said public relations representative Nick Ruffner per Today.“Diversity and inclusion are essential parts of who we are. We have attempted to work with the EEOC for nearly eight years to find common ground and resolve this dispute. We will address the claims in Court when the time comes.”
