Thursday, 12 December 2024

Biden Admin Sues Sheetz Over ‘Discriminatory’ Hiring Practices Days After He’s Torched Online Over Botched Photo Ops At Other Gas Stations


Biden Admin Sues Sheetz Over 'Discriminatory' Hiring Practices Days After He's Torched Online Over Botched Photo Ops At Other Gas Stations

Screenshot / X; Lindsey B CC BY-SA 2.0 DEED, via Flickr, Cropped by Resist the Mainstream

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) under the Biden administration took legal action against the Sheetz convenience store and gas station chain on Thursday.

The lawsuit, which comes one day after Biden made a campaign stop at a Sheetz in Pennsylvania, and on the heels of the president's “scripted” Wawa stop in Philadelphia last week that was widely blasted online, alleges that the Sheetz's hiring procedures “disproportionately screened out Black, Native American/Alaska Native, and multiracial applicants.”

The EEOC asserted in a press release that the Sheetz chain's utilization of criminal conviction records as a basis for screening and rejecting applicants constitutes a breach of Title VII's prohibition on “disparate impact discrimination.”

The EEOC, however, did not allege that the convenience store chain “was motivated by race when making hiring decisions.”

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“Federal law mandates that employment practices causing a disparate impact because of race or other protected classifications must be shown by the employer to be necessary to ensure the safe and efficient performance of the particular jobs at issue,” said EEOC Regional Attorney Debra M. Lawrence, according to a report from The Post Millennial.

“Even when such necessity is proven, the practice remains unlawful if there is an alternative practice available that is comparably effective in achieving the employer’s goals but causes less discriminatory effect,” she emphasized.

Director of the EEOC Philadelphia District Office Jamie R. Williamson noted that the “EEOC is dedicated to making sure that individuals with criminal records are not unlawfully excluded from employment opportunities because of race.”

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Williamson also made a point to highlight that April is “Second Chance Month,” a nationwide effort aimed at raising awareness of the collateral consequences of a criminal conviction and to unlock second-chance opportunities for individuals who have completed their sentences to become contributing citizens.

Spokesman Nick Ruffner stressed that the Sheetz chain, comprising of nearly 600 locations operating in six states, “does not tolerate discrimination of any kind.”

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He added, “Diversity and inclusion are integral to our identity. We take these allegations seriously. We have been striving to collaborate with the EEOC for nearly eight years to find common ground and resolve this dispute,” in a statement provided to the Associated Press.

A video on X showed Biden visiting a Sheetz on Wednesday where he walked to the counter to very little fanfare.

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He was torched online after he took a picture with members of the staff then departed after responding to just one question from a reporter, who inquired whether the president was worried that tariffs would lead to complications with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

“Don't jump,” Biden said on his way out the door.

X users mocked Biden on Friday after he took “a page from Trump’s book” during a recent visit to a Wawa in Philadelphia, just one week after Trump made headlines for ordering milkshakes for customers at a Chick-fil-A.

“Spot the difference,” said Trending Politics co-owner Collin Rugg. “Biden started ordering a milkshake and then got distracted with a box. It was later revealed that his entire visit to the Wawa was staged.”

“Workers were caught on camera scripting his visit and even preparing for the cashiers ‘tip.'” he continued. “The visit looked much different than Trump’s visit to Chick-fil-A where he was greeted by tons of excited supporters.”

Other users chimed in on X to highlight Biden’s “scripted” campaign stop.

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