WALLY-MO TRAILERS SUED FOR SEX DISCRIMINATION

PRESS RELEASE
8-21-09

Tennessee Trailer Builder Refuses to Hire Female Welders, EEOC Charges

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – A Parsons, Tenn., manufacturer of car hauler trailers violated federal law by refusing to hire women as welders, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit it filed today.

According to the EEOC’s suit, Civil Action No. 1:09-cv-01179, filed in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee, Jackson Division, alleges that Monroe Motors, Inc., doing business as Wally-Mo Trailers, violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 when it failed to hire April Griffin for a welder position because of her sex. The EEOC also claims that the company maintains a policy and practice of refusing to consider women for welder positions.

“No employer has the right to assume that one gender or the other cannot perform a certain job,” said EEOC Acting Chairman Stuart J. Ishimaru. “The EEOC protects the rights of everyone to perform any job for which he or she is qualified.”

The EEOC filed suit after first attempting to reach a voluntary settlement. The suit seeks monetary relief in the form of back pay and compensatory and punitive damages, instatement, and an injunction against future discrimination.

“The company’s refusal to hire Ms. Griffin and to consider women for the welding position was based on gender and not on qualifications to perform the duties of the job,” said Katharine W. Kores, district director of the EEOC’s Memphis District Office, which has jurisdiction over Arkansas, Tennessee, and portions of Mississippi. “This type of blatant sex discrimination is a priority for the EEOC. Employers cannot refuse to allow women to work based on discriminatory stereotypes.”

According to company information, Monroe Motors, Inc., doing business as Wally-Mo Trailers, a Tennessee corporation with facilities in Holladay and Parsons, Tenn., manufactures large car hauler trailers for the auto hauler industry. It also builds equipment trailers for private use or for the commercial industry.

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

This page was last modified on August 21, 2009.