UPS to Pay $95k

UPS has settled a discrimination lawsuit filed by a deaf employee. Mauricio Centeno was denied reasonable accommodation by the package delivery firm, according to the EEOC, which filed the lawsuit on behalf of Centeno. He worked for eight years at the UPS facility in Gardena, California where he was denied access to a sign language interpreter for training, departmental staff meetings and other work-related sessions. Supervisors met with Centeno about his work performance without an interpreter present. While a judge dismissed the suit in 2008, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals not only reversed the lower court’s ruling, but also held that employers must provide reasonable accommodations to employees with disabilities even if the accommodations are for benefits and privileges (like staff meetings) that are not essential functions of the job. UPS will pay Centeno $95,000 and make changes to the way it deals with deaf employees.