Radiant Services to Pay $1.1 Million in EEOC Hiring Discrimination Lawsuit

LOS ANGELES, Calif. - Gardena-based laundry facility Radiant Services Corporation will pay $1.1 million and furnish extensive injunctive relief to settle a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) discrimination lawsuit, the federal agency announced today.

The EEOC's related suit against BaronHR recently settled for $2.2 million and extensive injunctive relief remedies, bringing the total settlement to be distributed to class members to $3.3 million.

The EEOC's lawsuit charged that since at least 2015, Radiant failed to recruit and hire workers for low-skill positions based on their race (Black, Asian and white) and national origin (non-Hispanic). The lawsuit further alleged that Radiant illegally segregated jobs based on sex.

Such alleged conduct violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination in recruitment and hiring based on race, national origin, and sex. The EEOC filed suit (EEOC v. Radiant Services Corp., BaronHR, LLC, et al, Case No. 2:22-cv-06517-GW-RAO) in U.S. District Court for the Central District of California after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its administrative conciliation process.

The consent decree settling the suit, entered by U.S. District Judge George Wu on August 6, 2024, provides for monetary relief of $1.1 million for a class of workers deterred and denied hire by Radiant. The money will be distributed through a claims process by a Claims Administrator paid for by Radiant.

"Although the nation has made substantial progress in the 60 years since the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibited job discrimination and segregation based on race, sex, and national origin, unlawful barriers to equal opportunity persist," said EEOC Chair Charlotte A. Burrows. "The EEOC will continue its work to fulfill the promise of the 1964 Act and advance equal employment opportunity for all workers, particularly the most vulnerable."

The EEOC will monitor Radiant's recruitment and hiring efforts. Specifically, Radiant will establish a recruitment plan and meet hiring goals to recruit, hire or place workers that reflect the percentage of non-Hispanic hires that would be expected based on the composition of the relevant labor pool. Staffing agencies utilized by Radiant will be required to keep records and cooperate with the terms of this decree. Radiant must provide periodic reports to the EEOC with information regarding any complaints about discrimination in recruitment, referral and hiring.

Radiant agreed to other extensive injunctive relief remedies including designating an internal EEO coordinator, implementing anti-discrimination policies and procedures, providing training for non-management, management, and human resources staff in English and Spanish, establishing a centralized tracking system for all complaints, providing notice to all applicants and staffing agencies of Title VII protections, and posting internally and externally of this resolution.

A claims process will be set up to compensate workers who were not hired or deterred from applying for employment at Radiant. If you are interested in making a claim, please contact the EEOC at 213-785-3096 or [email protected].

"Barriers to recruitment and hiring remain a persistent problem in low-skill and low-wage industries," said Anna Park, regional attorney for the EEOC's Los Angeles District Office. "Employers cannot hide behind staffing agencies, to carry out their discriminatory hiring preferences. The EEOC will continue to enforce Title VII to ensure that workers are afforded equal employment opportunities under federal law."

"We are pleased with the resolution of both Radiant and BaronHR. The monetary relief will provide compensation to individuals who were denied equal employment opportunities," said Los Angeles District Director Christine Park-Gonzalez. "The significant injunctive relief that will be instituted at Radiant as part of this decree should serve as a model for other companies that work with staffing agencies."

For more information about race discrimination, visit https://www.eeoc.gov/racecolor-discrimination; national origin discrimination, visit https://www.eeoc.gov/national-origin-discrimination; and sex discrimination, visit https://www.eeoc.gov/sex-based-discrimination.

This lawsuit was initiated by the EEOC's Los Angeles District Office, which has jurisdiction over parts of California and Nevada; the Hawaiian Islands; American Samoa; Guam; the Northern Mariana Islands; and Wake Island.

The EEOC prevents and remedies unlawful employment discrimination and advances equal opportunity for all. More information is available at www.eeoc.gov. Stay connected with the latest EEOC news by subscribing to our email updates.

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