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EEOC Wants Wal-Mart Sanctioned |
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WASHINGTON (AP) - The federal government wants a federal judge to punish Wal-Mart Stores Inc. over claims it failed to comply with terms of a discrimination settlement involving two deaf job applicants. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said Friday it has asked U.S. District Judge William D. Browning in Tucson, Ariz., to declare Wal-Mart in contempt of court and impose sanctions. A hearing is set May 29. The EEOC sued Wal-Mart in 1998, claiming the company violated the Americans with Disabilities Act by failing to hire two deaf men, Jeremy Fass and William Darnell. Despite the settlement last year, the Bentonville, Ark.-based retailer has failed to create training materials for hearing-impaired employees, has not provided disabilities training for managers and has refused to allow officials with the EEOC and the Arizona Center for Disability Law to visit its stores to verify compliance, the EEOC said. ``Because Wal-Mart has steadfastly refused to satisfy its court-ordered obligations, we remain extremely concerned for hearing-impaired individuals in Arizona and throughout the country who seek employment with Wal-Mart or are currently employed,'' said C. Emanuel Smith, acting regional attorney for EEOC's Phoenix office. But Wal-Mart spokesman Bill Wertz said the company has complied with ``virtually all of the terms'' of the settlement. There has been a delay in implementing the management training program, but the EEOC had agreed to it, he said. Also, text was used instead of sign-language on Wal-Mart's computer-based training program, which ``we thought was agreeable to the EEOC,'' Wertz said. ``Therefore, we're surprised by the EEOC's motion.'' Wal-Mart intends to try to resolve the disagreements with the EEOC before the hearing, Wertz said. The deaf men complained to the EEOC that they weren't hired for stocking jobs at a Tucson Wal-Mart in 1995 because managers during the application process had expressed concerns about communication and safety. |
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