AT&T Services is paying $60,000 to settle a discrimination suit over its alleged refusal to hire an applicant due to his diabetes.
The federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed the suit in Austin, Texas, federal court, charging that the telecom company violated the Americans With Disabilities Act.
The applicant “indisputably had the necessary experience and expertise” to perform the job of cable splicer technician in Austin, and had even safely performed a similar job for AT&T previously, the EEOC says in a release announcing the settlement.
“Employers who respond to disabled individuals with knee-jerk exclusions based on myths, fears and stereotypes, rather than considering individual abilities, put themselves at risk,” said EEOC lawyer Eduardo Juarez.
Also under the settlement, AT&T agreed to provide training regarding the ADA to all staffing managers at its non-management staffing office located in San Antonio.
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