A Hooters restaurant in Greensboro, North Carolina is facing
a lawsuit by the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) for alleged
racial discrimination against its employees. According to the EEOC, the
franchise location temporarily terminated Black and darker-skinned staff
members, also known as “Hooters girls,” during the early months of the pandemic
in March 2020. The agency stated that 43 employees were laid off during this
period, and when the establishment recalled employees in May 2020, mostly white
or light-skinned employees were brought back.
The EEOC’s lawsuit, filed in the US District Court for
the Middle District of North Carolina, claims a marked shift in the racial
composition of the restaurant’s Hooters Girls workforce. Out of the 13
employees recalled, 12 were reported to be white and/or have light skin tones
(whatever the latter means).
Additionally, the EEOC reported a 43 percent decrease
in dark-skinned and/or Black employees from before the layoffs until after
rehiring. The complaint also alleges racial hostility and preferential
treatment of white employees by dark-skinned and/or Black employees while they
were working at the establishment.
The plaintiffs argue Hooters’ actions violated Title VII of
the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which protects employees from workplace
discrimination and harassment. The EEOC seeks monetary relief, including back
pay, compensatory and punitive damages, and injunctive relief against the
Hooters franchise. Neither Hooters nor the EEOC have provided comments on the
lawsuit at this time.
Source: https://thenationalpulse.com/2023/08/26/biden-govt-sues-hooters-alleging-racial-discrimination/
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