Mavis agrees to settle EEOC case

NEW YORK CITY — Mavis Discount Tire Inc. and its associated businesses will pay $2.1 million and provide further relief to settle a lawsuit filed four years ago by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) on behalf of 46 female job applicants.

The EEOC said it filed its complaint before the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York in 2012 after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation agreement with the company.

According to the EEOC, Millwood, N.Y.-based Mavis Discount Tire and its other operating units — Mavis Tire Supply Corp., Mavis Tire NY Inc. and Cole Muffler Inc. — violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act by refusing to hire women for its field positions at its 140-plus stores in New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania.

These positions included managers, assistant managers, mechanics and tire technicians, the EEOC said. In addition, Mavis failed to make, keep or preserve employment records, the agency said.

Mavis is pleased to have reached agreement with the EEOC after eight years of litigation, according to Paige Koudijs, co-owner and executive vice president of Mavis Tire.

“Since the matter began, we have taken many steps in furtherance of our commitment to be an equal opportunity employer,” Ms. Koudijs said.

“By implementing an online recruitment system, providing training to our employees on how to create and work in a discrimination-free workplace, and welcoming both a director of employee development and a vice president of human resources to our team, we have positioned ourselves to continue to promote diversity in our expanding workforce,” she said.

According to the consent agreement approved March 24 by U.S. District Judge Katherine P. Failla, the $2.1 million will be divided among the 46 women.

Mavis Tire also agreed not to discriminate against women job applicants because of their sex or retaliate against any person who exercises his or her rights under federal anti-discrimination laws.

In addition, the company agreed to:

• Commit to increase the pool of women applicants by contacting four automotive training schools in different regions;

• Set up an annual scholarship at four different automotive training schools with an annual commitment of $10,000;

• Work in good faith to meet hiring goals for the percentage of female hires each calendar year;

• Adopt a non-discrimination policy and distribute that policy to all employees; including managers;

• Provide training on federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination to all current and future managers, supervisors and employees;

• Issue  a statement of equal opportunity by Mavis' CEO to all Mavis employees; and

• Establish a toll-free number and secure email address where any Mavis applicant or employee may report incidents of discrimination.

The court appointed Jim Booth as Equal Employment Opportunity Coordinator to ensure Mavis' compliance with the agreement and Jennifer Papas as Employment Practices Expert Consultant to assist Mavis in recruiting and hiring in its field locations.

“We are pleased that as a result of this settlement, Mavis will be making concerted, verifiable efforts to hire more women at all of its field locations,” said EEOC Acting Regional Attorney Raechel Adams.