Company's same-sex trainer policy leads heightens controversy.
A class action complaint alleging that Stevens Transport, one of the largest refrigerated trucking companies in the United States, discriminated against women during the hiring and training processes was submitted on October 5 against Stevens Transport. The lawsuit was filed in the United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan. This new information was disclosed in a press release issued not long ago by the National Women's Law Center and Peter Romer-Friedman Law PLLC. These two law firms are currently supporting REAL Women in Trucking and three female drivers.
According to the press release, Stevens Transport has a controversial policy that permits female drivers to be trained only by other female trainers. This policy apparently helps female drivers to have more autonomy in their careers. In spite of this, we have been unable to hire qualified female applicants for the position of truck driver in a timely manner since our company does not have enough female trainers.
In the field of business, this is a problem that affects many people. The lawsuit that the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed against another trucking company brings to light the fact that in 2014, a federal judge ruled a training program for same-sex employees to be in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.
Kim Howard, Ashli Streeter, and another female driver who will remain nameless have all alleged that they were subjected to discrimination and ultimately dismissed between the months of April and June of 2023 as a result of this policy. Howard and Streeter, both of whom had recently obtained their CDLs, made the suggestion that they should be trained by male trainers but were denied.
Trucking companies assume they are helping women by allowing them to train alongside other women, but according to the founder of REAL Women in Trucking, Desiree Wood, this is not the case at all. On the contrary, this is true. Women who have dreams of becoming truck drivers, just like their male counterparts, desire the opportunity to go to school, find a job, and create a life for themselves. Additionally, Peter Romer-Friedman and Liz Chacko of the National Women's Law Center expressed their disbelief that such discriminatory behaviors are still prevalent in this day and age.
