EEOC SUES CTI GLOBAL SOLUTIONS FOR PREGNANCY DISCRIMINATION

Staffing Company Terminated Women Because of Pregnancy, Federal Agency Says

BALTIMORE – CTI Global  Solutions Inc., a staffing agency headquartered in Largo,  Md., violated  federal law when it terminated a group of employees because of their pregnancy,  the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit  announced today.

“More than 30 years after the passage of the Pregnancy  Discrimination Act, the EEOC has seen a sharp increase in the number of  pregnancy discrimination charges filed nationwide,” said Debra Lawrence, acting regional attorney of the  EEOC’s Philadelphia District Office, which oversees Pennsylvania, Maryland,  Delaware, West Virginia, and parts of New Jersey and Ohio. “It was  not only unfair for CTI Global to fire these women because of pregnancy, it was  obviously illegal. The EEOC is  filing this suit to remind employers they  must implement policies and practices to prevent pregnancy discrimination or  face the consequences.”

When CTI  Global removed Rita Tolliver from company training for a job placement as a  file clerk with the FBI, the company’s chief financial officer told her that  the file clerk position was a “risk” to her because of her pregnancy, the EEOC  charges in its lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, Southern Division  (Civil Action No---). The company  refused to reconsider even though Tolliver offered to provide medical  documentation that she could in fact perform the job.

The company also  removed Alfre Juanita Tilsdale from her work assignment with the FBI due to her  pregnancy. The EEOC says that CTI  Global’s operations manager told Tilsdale that based on “past experiences” it  “would not be fair” to continue her assignment.  Similarly, the EEOC alleges that the staffing company removed Anje  Proctor from her placement with the FBI because a company manager told her it  would be “unsafe” for her to hold her position while pregnant. The EEOC charges that the company  failed to give the women alternate work placements, thereby terminating their  employment.

Such alleged  conduct violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, as amended by the  Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978. The  EEOC filed suit after first attempting to reach a voluntary settle­ment. The EEOC seeks injunctive relief to prevent  future discrimination and back pay, compensatory damages and punitive damages  to compensate the class members for their losses and emotional harm.

Workplace discrimination charge filings with the EEOC  nationwide rose to an unprecedented level of 95,402 during Fiscal Year 2008 -- a  15 percent increase from the previous fiscal year. Pregnancy charges increased 12 percent to a record  high level of 6,285 in FY 2008.

The  EEOC enforces federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. Further information about the EEOC is  available on its web site at www.eeoc.gov.