EEOC Files Sex Bias Suit Against Mavis Discount Tire

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has filed suit against Mavis Discount Tire Inc., Mavis Tire Supply Corp., Mavis Tire NY Inc. and Cole Muffler Inc., seeking a jury trial for alleged violations of sex discrimination in employment.

Filed Jan. 31 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, the suit accuses Mavis Discount Tire and its allied companies of violating Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.

The suit was filed on behalf of Nicole Haywood, who claims Mavis Discount Tire failed to hire her and other qualified women job applicants because of their sex, while hiring less qualified men to work at its tire and auto repair stores.

Since at least 2008, only one woman was employed in any of approximately 800 positions at Mavis Discount Tire including tire installers, mechanics, assistant managers, managers and related positions, the EEOC alleged. Also, out of some 1,300 hires Mavis Discount Tire made in those positions between 2008 and 2010, not one was a woman, according to the agency.

The EEOC has asked the New York court to order Mavis Discount Tire to stop discriminatory hiring practices and provide appropriate relief to Haywood and the class of women job applicants she represents.

David Sorbaro, co-owner of Mavis Discount Tire, could not be reached by Workforce Management sister publication Tire Business for comment.

This report was filed by Tire Business, a sister publication of Workforce Management. To comment, email editors@workforce.com.

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