financetom
Economy
financetom
/
Economy
/
US states sue over EEOC's policy on transgender workers
News World Market Environment Technology Personal Finance Politics Retail Business Economy Cryptocurrency Forex Stocks Market Commodities
US states sue over EEOC's policy on transgender workers
May 14, 2024 8:38 AM

(Reuters) - A group of Republican-led U.S. states filed a lawsuit seeking to block the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission from enforcing broad legal protections for transgender workers.

The 18 states filed the complaint in federal court in Knoxville, Tennessee, late Monday. They said the federal workplace bias agency lacked the power to assert that federal law requires employers to use transgender workers' preferred pronouns and allow them to use bathrooms that match their gender identity.

The commission last month updated its guidance on workplace harassment for the first time in 25 years, including positions that reflect a 2020 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that said discriminating against gay and transgender workers is a form of unlawful sex bias.

The EEOC in the guidance said denying accommodations to transgender workers amounts to workplace harassment based on sex.

But the states in their lawsuit said federal law is much narrower, protecting workers from being fired because they are transgender but not requiring employers to take affirmative steps to accommodate them.

"EEOC has no authority to resolve these highly controversial and localized issues, which are properly reserved for Congress and the states," they said.

A spokesman for the commission did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Guidance is meant to direct the enforcement activities of EEOC staff, who investigate worker complaints and can broker settlements or file lawsuits against employers, and is not legally binding. Agencies have argued in past cases that enforcement guidance cannot be reviewed in court.

But the states in Monday's lawsuit said the commission's guidance marks a significant change in the agency's reading of federal law and will force some employers to change practices to avoid EEOC complaints and lawsuits by workers.

The states also claim that the guidance is invalid because the commission's structure as an independent agency violates the U.S. Constitution. They say that the U.S. president, who appoints the EEOC's five commissioners, should be able to remove them at will.

A mostly identical group of states also made those claims in a lawsuit filed last month challenging an EEOC rule that gives workers who have abortions the same legal protections as those who are pregnant or recently gave birth.

Monday's lawsuit is led by Tennessee and joined by Alabama, Georgia, Indiana, Missouri, Ohio, South Carolina, and Virginia, among other states.

Comments
Welcome to financetom comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Related Articles >
ISM US February Services Index Post Unexpected Gain
ISM US February Services Index Post Unexpected Gain
Mar 5, 2025
10:11 AM EST, 03/05/2025 (MT Newswires) -- The Institute for Supply Management's US services index rose to a reading of 53.5 in February from 52.8 in January, compared with expectations for a decrease to a reading of 52.5 in a survey compiled by Bloomberg as of 7:25 am ET. The ISM's reading indicates expansion which is in line with Richmond...
US services sector expands; price growth accelerates amid tariffs
US services sector expands; price growth accelerates amid tariffs
Mar 5, 2025
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. services sector growth unexpectedly picked up in February and prices for inputs increased, which combined with a recent surge in the cost of raw materials at factories suggested that inflation could heat up in the months ahead. Rising price pressures could be worsened by a trade war, triggered by President Donald Trump's new 25% tariffs on imports...
US service sector expands in February; price growth accelerates
US service sector expands in February; price growth accelerates
Mar 5, 2025
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. services sector growth unexpectedly picked up in February and prices for inputs increased, which combined with a recent surge in the cost of raw materials at factories suggested that inflation could heat up in the months ahead. Rising price pressures could be worsened by a trade war, triggered by President Donald Trump's new 25% tariffs on...
US factory orders rebound in January on commercial aircraft
US factory orders rebound in January on commercial aircraft
Mar 5, 2025
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - New orders for U.S.-manufactured goods rebounded in January amid a surge in commercial aircraft bookings, but the broader manufacturing sector's recovery is likely to be hampered by tariffs on imports. Factory orders increased 1.7% after a revised 0.6% decline in December, the Commerce Department's Census Bureau said on Wednesday. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast factory orders...
Copyright 2023-2025 - www.financetom.com All Rights Reserved