Federal Agency Charged Trucking Companies Discriminated and Retaliated Against a Worker Because of Race and Religion

CLEVELAND – Nationwide automotive hauling and logistics company Wheeler Trucking, doing business as Wheeler Trucking Inc. and Wheeler Logistics, Inc. will pay $65,000 and furnish equitable relief to settle a race and religion lawsuit filed by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the agency announced today.

According to the EEOC’s lawsuit, Wheeler subjected Charles R. Lynch, III, a Torah Observant employee at its Sheffield, Ohio, location to discrimination when they revoked his religious accommodation that would have allowed him to continue having Saturdays off to observe the Sabbath. The company also exposed Lynch, who is Israeli, to unlawful harassment that included likening him to a terrorist and mocking his religious beliefs.

Such alleged conduct violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII), which prohibits discrimination because of race and religion and retaliation. The EEOC filed a lawsuit against Wheeler in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio Eastern Division (EEOC v. Wheeler Trucking, et al., 1:23-cv-01874), after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its administrative process. The decree resolving the EEOC’s lawsuit, in addition to monetary relief, enjoins Wheeler from discriminating and retaliating against employees and provides for periodic reporting and monitoring by the EEOC as well as training requirements.

“Employers that fail to correct and prevent harassment must be held accountable,” said Philadelphia District Office Regional Attorney Debra Lawrence. “The EEOC is committed to remedying and preventing harassment because of race and religion and to ensuring that employers do not retaliate against workers because they engage in protected activity.”

For more information on race and color discrimination, please visit https://www.eeoc.gov/racecolor-discrimination. For more information on religious discrimination, please visit https://www.eeoc.gov/religious-discrimination.

The EEOC’s Philadelphia District Office has jurisdiction over Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, West Virginia and parts of New Jersey and Ohio. EEOC attorneys in the Philadelphia District also litigate violations of employment laws the agency enforces in Washington, D.C. and parts of Virginia.

The EEOC prevents and remedies unlawful employment discrimination and advances equal opportunity for all. More information is available at www.eeoc.gov.