Job seekers in Florida naturally want to be given a fair shot at a job for which they feel they are qualified. Being denied a job on the basis of race can thus be demeaning and is illegal. Two restaurants in another state recently said they would pay more than$1 million to settle a workplace discrimination suit alleging that they mistreated black job applicants as well as employees.
The restaurants are McCormick & Schmick’s as well as its owner, Schmick Restaurant Corp. According to the lawsuit, the restaurants failed to adhere to federal civil rights legislation by not hiring black job seekers for positions in the front area of the restaurant, such as those of hostesses and servers. In the settlement, the companies didn’t admit to engaging in any wrongdoing or discrimination.
The lawsuit has been going on for years. Not only will the restaurants pay a substantial monetary settlement, but also they have agreed to create new hiring standards based on diversity. For example, it will ensured that the proportion of black workers in positions in the front area of the restaurant mirrors the number of black applicants overall.
The restaurants will additionally report their hiring figures to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The EEOC will try to identify people who are eligible for the payout through its claims process during the next couple of years. It is within the rights of any person who is a victim of unlawful workplace discrimination to explore their legal options for trying to hold the alleged discriminatory employer accountable in Florida.
Source: The Baltimore Sun, “McCormick & Schmick’s agrees to pay $1.3 million in race discrimination case”, Kevin Rector, Sept. 15, 2014