“Accord employs a policy of illegal discrimination in the hiring and placement of its home healthcare employees for the express purpose of accommodating the illegal preferences of its clients,” the lawsuit alleges.
Accord has denied the allegations.
The lawsuit alleges that Accord “routinely declined to place nurses and nurse aides they described as ‘too black’ or ‘too foreign’ or ‘too old.’”
Tracee Goodman, one of the plaintiffs, worked in human resources at Accord for more than two years. Administrators routinely asked her about the race and age of applicants, giving preference to white applicants, she told ABC News.
Goodman, who is African-American, said she noticed in payment reports that there was a pay difference between black nurses and white nurses and raised the issue with her bosses. Instead of addressing her complaint, she said, they simply took that part of her job away from her.
“The more concerns I raised about racially based hiring practices, my duties were slowly dwindling,” Goodman said. “[Eventually], they hired someone else and moved me.”
Goodman was allegedly told she complained too much and that she should choose whether to stay or go. She left. “I worked in health care for 10 years,” Goodman said. “I know you can’t staff according to race.”
Tags: black, discrimination, nurse, Nursing, racism