According to the EEOC’s suit, AA Enterprises singled out at least four female nonresident gas station workers, requiring them to pay for their own pregnancy-related medical expenses while paying for the expenses of employees with other medical conditions. The pregnant staffers were threatened with termination if they did not agree to pay for their own medical expenses, and at least two of the women were ultimately fired by the gas station manager within two weeks of reporting the discrimination to the EEOC.
Pregnancy discrimination and retaliation for complaining about it violate Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended by the Pregnancy Discrimination Act. The EEOC filed suit in U.S. District Court for the District of the Northern Mariana Islands (EEOC v. AA Enterprises, Inc., Case No. CV 10-0024) after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its conciliation process.
The parties entered into a three-year consent decree, requiring AA Enterprises to pay $80,000 in back pay and compensatory damages to the affected pregnant staff. In order to prevent future violations, the decree further requires AA Enterprises to implement EEOC-approved anti-discrimination and anti-retaliation policies and complaint procedures; have annual compliance training for all staff; designate an internal EEOC officer; create an internal tracking system to monitor internal discrimination and retaliation complaints; post an EEOC notice on the matter; and report the handling of such complaints to the EEOC.
