Labor & Employment Law Daily Wrap Up, EEOC NEWS—Agency schools employers on sex, pregnancy discrimination, nets $385K for aggrieved workers, (Apr 15, 2026)
Organizations Mentioned:Allied Services, LLC | Allied Waste Services of the Ozarks | Personnel Staffing Inc. | Republic Services | Republic Services of the Ozarks | iPRO Dental Laboratory, Inc.
By Pamela Wolf, J.D.
Waste management company, staffing agency, and dental restoration products manufacturer settle Title VII claims of sex discrimination in hiring or firing.
The EEOC separately announced its recovery of $385,000 in monetary relief for employees of employers in Missouri, Alabama, and Florida to resolve claims of sex and/or pregnancy discrimination. The largest settlement was paid by a waste management company that purportedly refused to hire female garbage truck drivers.
Refused to hire female garbage truck drivers. Allied Services, LLC, dba Allied Waste Services of the Ozarks / Republic Services of the Ozarks, agreed to pay $200,000 to settle allegations that the waste management company violated Title VII when it rejected a female applicant for a garbage truck driver position and instead hired a less qualified male. The female applied to work for Republic Services as a garbage truck driver based out of Springfield, Missouri. Company managers told her during her interview that female drivers had not worked out in the past, and she should carefully consider whether she wanted the position because Republic Services would have to build a locker room with a shower for female drivers if she were hired, according to the EEOC. When the applicant followed up and indicated she wanted the job, the company purportedly rejected her application and hired a less-qualified male for the position. The company had no female drivers at the time, and at least since March 2020, routinely failed to hire qualified female applicants for driver positions because of their sex, the EEOC claimed.
The federal antidiscrimination agency’s press release did not disclose whether the settlement included any equitable relief.
The EEOC filed its lawsuit in the Western District of Missouri; the case is No. 23-3308-MDH.
Client directed sex discrimination. Personnel Staffing Inc. will pay $155,000 to conciliate an EEOC investigation finding that the staffing agency, which provides services in the southeastern United States, violated Title VII when it discriminated against a class of female workers between August 14, 2020, and August 1, 2023, based on their sex. The employer reportedly failed to refer female temporary workers to TCI of Alabama, LLC, at its Pell City, Alabama, location, based on TCI’s sex-biased request for male-only laborers. Personnel Staffing’s compliance with TCI’s discriminatory request was unlawful.
In addition to paying monetary damages for a class of female temporary workers, Personnel Staffing agreed to: revise and disseminate its antidiscrimination policy instructing employees about their rights and how to report discrimination; train its managers and employees on discrimination and retaliation annually; and provide other injunctive relief to prevent discriminatory or retaliatory conduct from occurring in the future.
The EEOC said it previously brought and settled a lawsuit charging TCI with retaliation and continues to prosecute two related enforcement actions: a lawsuit the agency filed against TCI in January 2025 and a sex discrimination case filed against WorkSmart in September 2025.
Fired worker after learning of her pregnancy. iPRO Dental Laboratory, Inc., will pay $30,000 to settle allegations that a Fort Lauderdale, Florida, dental restoration products manufacturer violated Title VII when it fired a newly hired employee in January 2023 after learning she was pregnant. The employee started work on a Monday, informed the company she was pregnant on Tuesday, and was terminated on Friday without any record of performance or disciplinary issues, according to the EEOC.
The settlement also requires the company to: hire a third-party EEO coordinator to conduct investigations into complaints of discrimination and to shadow iPro’s interviews to provide feedback on best practices; create a hotline for employees to report discrimination; create policies on pregnancy discrimination and handling requests for accommodation from pregnant employees; provide annual training for all employees; post a notice regarding the lawsuit; and submit biannual reports to the EEOC about complaints of discrimination and requests for accommodation due to pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions.
The EEOC filed its lawsuit in the Southern District of Florida; the case is No. 0:25-cv-61904.
Companies: Allied Services, LLC; Allied Waste Services of the Ozarks; Republic Services of the Ozarks; Personnel Staffing Inc.; iPRO Dental Laboratory, Inc.
News: AgencyNews Discharge Discrimination SexDiscrimination PregnancyDiscrimination RemediesDamages