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Under EEOC Chair Andrea Lucas\u2019 leadership, EEOC has focused on \u201creverse bias\u201d claims against majority-group workers, including White males, as well as national origin discrimination<\/a> against American workers.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cDiscrimination against American workers is unconscionable,\u201d Lucas said in the release. \u201cThe EEOC is here to protect all workers from anti-American bias. Nothing justifies illegal national origin discrimination, and we will vigorously enforce federal laws to restore dignity to the American worker.\u201d<\/p>\n The employee whose tools were allegedly taken repeatedly complained to a direct supervisor, who didn\u2019t take action to stop the harassment, EEOC said. He complained to another supervisor and was fired the next day by his direct supervisor for going over his head, the agency said.\u00a0<\/p>\n In a position statement submitted to EEOC, ATG said the worker was fired for nearly falling asleep at work while supporting a 100-pound beam. The company had a write-up about the incident, but it was not signed by the worker, who denies falling asleep or having any safety violations, EEOC said.\u00a0<\/p>\n The worker\u2019s termination paperwork lists \u201cother\u201d and \u201carguing with crews and almost starting a fight\u201d and nothing about a safety violation, per the lawsuit.<\/p>\n \u201cEmployers have a legal duty to prevent and stop all harassment based on national origin, including harassment of American workers. Employers are required to investigate any complaints of national origin harassment and to take prompt action to stop the harassment,\u201d Mary Jo O\u2019Neill, regional attorney for EEOC\u2019s Phoenix district office, said in the release.<\/p>\n Many of the workers at the New Mexico site were Mexican and most spoke Spanish, per the lawsuit. While ATG said it required translations for English-speaking workers, employees told EEOC \u201cthat directives were rarely translated, and English-speaking workers often did not understand or were excluded from discussions at work.\u201d<\/p>\n The worker in question is a Hispanic American and was born in the U.S., where his family has lived for generations, EEOC said. His co-workers allegedly called him derogatory names daily after he was temporarily promoted, according to court documents.<\/p>\n In its lawsuit, EEOC said the behavior created a hostile work environment<\/a> for American workers. The agency and ATG were unable to reach an agreement through the conciliation process.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n