Seventy-eight current and former employees of Quietflex Manufacturing Company in Houston will receive a total of $2.8 million in a settlement of a bias lawsuit they filed.
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Download NowIn 2001, the Latino employees, represented by the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, sued the company, claiming that it discriminated against them based on their national origin in its transfer and compensation policies.
The suit alleged that Latinos were denied entry into a department with jobs that were higher-paying and had better working conditions than the departments in which Latinos worked.
The lawsuit also alleged retaliation based on the employees' terminations stemming from a work stoppage in January 2000. All employees were rehired shortly thereafter. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) intervened as an additional plaintiff shortly after the suit was filed.
The company, which produces flexible air conditioning ducts and component products, has denied, and continues to deny, all of the allegations in the lawsuit.
Under the terms of the settlement, the company's insurer will pay $2.8 million to the employees. In addition, the company has agreed to implement policies and practices to advance equal employment opportunity.