EEOC Sues Medical Center for Sex Discrimination

Source: U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)

ST. LOUIS – The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) today filed suit in federal court against a medical center in Mexico, Mo., alleging the center violated federal law by refusing to transfer a male nurse into the operating room because it preferred to have a female nurse in the room when female patients were being treated.

According to EEOC attorney Melvin Kennedy, the company revealed during the EEOC investigation that with the overwhelming presence of male surgeons and anesthesia staff, the hospital felt it must have female nursing staff in the operating room.

“The hospital’s failure to attract and hire women into the higher paying surgeon and anesthesia positions does not justify its insistence that it have female nursing staff in the OR,” said Kennedy.

EEOC Regional Attorney Barbara Seely said, “We have lived through a time in our country’s history where jobs had implicit gender designations. Doctors and lawyers were male jobs while nurses and flight attendants were female jobs. That time is over.”

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 protects employees from discrimination based upon sex, race, color, religion or national origin. The EEOC filed suit in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its conciliation process.

The EEOC enforces Title VII and other federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. Further information about the EEOC is available on its web site at www.eeoc.gov.

Employment discrimination lawsuits are on the rise. Protect your company from potential liability with the appropriate training and resources. Contact Berkshire Associates at 800.882.8904 or email bai@berkshireassociates.com to find out more.