EEOC Sues Disposal Company for Failing to Hire Female Trash Truck Drivers

ST. LOUIS – Refuse disposal company Allied Services, LLC, doing business as Allied Waste Services of the Ozarks / Republic Services of the Ozarks, violated federal law when it failed to hire qualified female drivers at its Springfield, Missouri facility because of their sex, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit filed yesterday.

According to the EEOC's suit, Jamie Mendoza applied to work for Republic Services as a garbage truck driver in May 2020. Company managers told Mendoza during her interview that female drivers had not worked out in the past, and that she should carefully consider whether she wanted the position because Republic Services would have to build a locker room with a shower for female drivers if she were hired. The EEOC alleges that when Mendoza followed up and indicated she wanted the job, the company never responded to her and hired a less-qualified male instead.

The company did not have any female drivers at the time. The suit also alleges that since at least March 2020, Republic Services has routinely failed to hire qualified female applicants for driver positions because of their sex.

Such alleged conduct violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination because of sex. The EEOC filed suit (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Allied Services, LLC d/b/a Allied Waste Services of the Ozarks / Republic Services of the Ozark, Civil Action No. 6:23-cv-03308) in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement via its conciliation process. The EEOC seeks monetary relief for Mendoza and other women who were not hired, as well as an order prohibiting future sex discrimination, and other relief.

“With all the advances in equal employment opportunities for women since the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, people often assume sex discrimination in hiring is a thing of the past,” said Andrea G. Baran, regional attorney for the EEOC’s St. Louis District Office. “Unfortunately, this kind of discrimination remains a persistent problem, particularly in some traditionally male-dominated fields.”

David Davis, director of the EEOC’s St. Louis District Office, said, “In this competitive job market, wise employers know that selecting candidates based on their qualifications and not their sex is a good decision economically and legally.”

The EEOC’s St. Louis District Office is responsible for receiving and investigating charges of employment discrimination and conducting agency litigation in Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, and a portion of southern Illinois, with area offices in Kansas City, Kansas, and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

More information about sex discrimination is available at https://www.eeoc.gov/sex-based-discrimination.

The EEOC advances opportunity in the workplace by enforcing federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. More information is available at www.eeoc.gov. Stay connected with the latest EEOC news by subscribing to our email updates.