Dive Temporary:
- The northeast division of Coca-Cola violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by privately inviting girls employees on a two-day networking journey in September 2024, the U.S. Equal Employment Alternative Fee alleged in a lawsuit filed Wednesday.
- EEOC pointed to Coca-Cola Drinks Northeast’s failure to ask males to the occasion, which was employer-sponsored, as grounds for a lawsuit.
- The fee additionally pointed to the truth that girls employees had been excused from their common duties however paid their regular wage or wages as discrimination towards the boys working at Coca-Cola Northeast.
Dive Perception:
This lawsuit introduced by EEOC is yet one more in a string of just lately publicized lawsuits involving majority-group plaintiffs alleging discrimination.
Employment attorneys informed HR Dive final month that that they had not seen an uptick in “reverse discrimination” lawsuits over the previous yr of their non-public apply. Nevertheless, they did foretell EEOC homing in on reverse discrimination as a strategic precedence for 2026.
EEOC’s lawsuit towards Coca-Cola is true according to this shift in enforcement.
“Excluding males from an employer-sponsored occasion is a Title VII violation that the EEOC will act to treatment by means of litigation when mandatory,” mentioned Catherine Eschbach, appearing EEOC basic counsel, in an announcement Wednesday.
“The EEOC stays dedicated to making sure that each one staff — women and men alike — take pleasure in equal entry to all points of their employment, together with participation in employer-sponsored occasions, no matter their intercourse, race or different protected class,” Eschbach added.
Coca-Cola Northeast maintains that it didn’t violate Title VII.
“This occasion totally complied with current EEOC regulation and its public commentary approving of such occasions,” a spokesperson for the division informed HR Dive. “Coca-Cola Drinks Northeast finds it disappointing that the EEOC didn’t conduct a full investigation and we stay up for having our day in open court docket the place the complete story informed to a jury will vindicate us.”
The spokesperson additionally clarified that it was a one-day occasion, and mentioned that Coca-Cola will proceed to “deal with equity, respect, and alternative for everybody.”
