Local Lawsuit Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Local Lawsuit - Essay Example Summary of the actions that lead to the lawsuit against Henry’s Turkey Service The U.S Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) acting on behalf of thirty-two intellectually disabled former workers of Henry’s Turkey Services filed a lawsuit against their employer because of payment/ wages discrimination. The EEOC in their lawsuit accused Henry’s Turkey Service of deliberately paying the intellectually disabled workers less wages as compared to their able-bodied counter-parts who did the same job as the intellectually disabled workers. In specific, the EEOC accused Henry’s Turkey Service of paying each of the thirty-two intellectually disabled workers a total wage of $65 per month during the contract period, which was between 2007 and 2009 instead of the average $11 to $12 per hour, which their non-disabled counterparts got. The EEOC alleged that because of this wage discrimination at Henry’s Turkey Services, each of the thirty-two intellectual ly disabled workers accrued lost income in the range of $28,000 to $45,000 during the two-year contract (EEOC). Despite paying, the thirty-two intellectually disabled workers undeserving wage per month, the EEOC also accused Henry’s Turkey Service of verbally abusing them, physically mistreating them despite their condition, imposing crude punishments on them, and unlawfully restricting their freedom thereby interfering with the first amendment rights, according to O'Keeffe (1993). In addition, the employer also failed to provide them with appropriate health care as recommended by the labor laws and lastly, imposing on them inhuman terms and conditions in their employment contract such as forcefully housing them collectively in a substandard house. However, it is beneficial to note that the above-mentioned charges against Henry’s Turkey Service are set for trial hearing starting from March 2013. According to the studies conducted by Pimentel et al. (1992) and O'Keeffe (1993), Henry’s Turkey Service openly practiced pay discrimination, which violated the Americans with Disabilities Act that advocate for equal treatment as well as equal pay to disabled people within the American Society. The pay discrimination by Henry’s Turkey Service also violated the labor laws, which advocate for equal opportunity as well as treatment at the workplace and the international human rights law that advocate against discrimination of any member of the society based on race, gender, religion, cultural background or intellectual capacity (Cohen, 2005). Risk management by Henry’s Turkey Service There are a number of measures, which Henry’s Turkey Services could have implemented to prevent the likelihood of such a lawsuit from arising, and costing the company $1.3 million arising from the court’s verdict, which was in favor of the thirty-two intellectually disabled workers. One of the risk management strategies that the company could h ave implemented was awarding the thirty-two intellectually disabled workers same wage rate as their non-disabled counterparts who also worked at the evisceration line at the company’s premises. The equal payment is justified because a supervisor from West Liberty Foods acting as a witness for the EEOC stated that the intellectually di