R&R Janitorial Services to Pay $1.25M in EEOC National Origin Discrimination Lawsuit

WASHINGTON - R&R Janitorial, Painting, and Building Services, Inc. (R&R), a federal contractor headquartered in Washington providing janitorial services to government agencies, will pay $1,250,000 and provide other equitable relief to settle a national origin and race discrimination lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency announced today.

According to the EEOC's suit, in April 2018, R&R fired a group of Hispanic janitors who worked at the Harry S. Truman building because of their Central American national origins and race. Some of those fired had worked in the building for nearly two decades. The vice president of R&R, who selected employees for terminations, made racially charged remarks shortly before the Hispanic janitors were fired, including commenting that Hispanics were taking over the D.C. area and that "all amigos look alike" to him, as well as forwarding an email that likened immigrants to raccoons needing extermination.

"We are pleased this settlement provides meaningful relief to the hard-working Hispanic employees who were fired," said Debra Lawrence, regional attorney for the EEOC's Philadelphia District Office. "Discrimination based on race or national origin has no place in the American workplace."

Such alleged conduct violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits employment discrimination based on race or national origin. The EEOC filed its lawsuit (EEOC v. R&R Janitorial Services, Case No. 1:21-cv-02539) in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its administrative conciliation process.

Mindy E. Weinstein, director of the EEOC's Washington Field Office, said, "The EEOC is committed to ensuring that all workers, regardless of national origin, are protected under the law."

In addition to the $1.25 million in monetary relief, the three-year consent decree resolving the suit enjoins R&R from discriminating based on race or national origin in the future. The decree also requires R&R to train management on compliance with Title VII; train non-supervisory employees on anti-discrimination protections in both English and Spanish; and report to the EEOC on terminations and complaints of race or national origin discrimination.

The EEOC's Philadelphia District Office has jurisdiction over Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, West Virginia, and parts of New Jersey and Ohio. The legal staff of the EEOC also prosecutes discrimination cases in Washington, D.C. and parts of Virginia.

The EEOC is the sole federal agency authorized to investigate and litigate against businesses and other private sector employers for violations of federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. For public sector employers, the EEOC shares jurisdiction with the Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division. The EEOC also is responsible for coordinating the federal government's employment antidiscrimination effort. More information about the EEOC is available at www.eeoc.gov .