Employer Fired Iraq War Veteran Because of Service-Related Disabilities, Agency Claimed

In a conciliation agreement with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), Roto Rooter Services Company will pay $100,000 to resolve a disability discrimination charge filed with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the agency recently announced.

An investigation by the EEOC's Minneapolis Area Office revealed that a Plymouth, Minn., Roto Rooter location denied an employee who returned from the Iraq War with service-related disabilities reasonable accommodations to enable him to return to work. Instead, the EEOC said, Roto Rooter fired the employee. Following the investigation, the EEOC determined that there was reasonable cause to believe that the company violated the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA).

"Firing a war veteran for his disabilities incurred serving his country is just plain wrong and clearly violates federal law," said Julianne Bowman, district director of the EEOC's Chicago District. "However, we appreciate that Roto Rooter worked cooperatively with the EEOC to resolve this charge without having to go through protracted litigation."

In addition to paying $100,000, the conciliation agreement requires the company to provide training focused on the ADA and reasonable accommodation and to report employee requests for reasonable accommodation to the EEOC.

The EEOC's Minneapolis Area Office is part of the Chicago District, which has jurisdiction over Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, North and South Dakota.

The EEOC enforces federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. Further information can be found on its website at www.eeoc.gov.