It seems a safe bet that National Tire & Battery shops in Illinois will think twice the next time that an employee claims to have been the victim of national origin or religious harassment.
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission announced today that it settled a national origin and religious harassment claim against NTB on behalf of an Arab Muslim mechanic who worked at the store’s Orland Park, and Matteson, Ill., locations.
The settlement cost NTB $22,500 in back pay to the ex-mechanic.
Managers and co-workers regularly called the mechanic “Taliban,” “al-Qaeda,” “bin Laden” and “terrorist” and accused him of making bombs, EEOC alleged.
According to the EEOC, NTB knew of the harassment because managers witnessed some of the offensive comments and the mechanic complained repeatedly to management, but the company did not stop the harassment from recurring.
The EEOC reminded employers: “When employers learn of harassment, the law requires that they take prompt and effective action to stop it.”
Read more about the settlement.
