Company ‘routinely’ removed minority health aides because of patient requests, feds say

A home care company in New York City removed minority workers from jobs at the request of patients, federal officials said.

The company, Four Seasons Licensed Home Health Care Agency, “routinely” assigned its staff based on patients’ “racial preferences,” according to a July 31 news release from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announcing a lawsuit.

Black and Hispanic aides, in particular, were taken off of assignments, officials said. They lost their employment entirely if no other assignments were available.

The company’s alleged conduct violates the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which bans discrimination against employees based on race or national origin, the EEOC said.

When contacted by McClatchy News, a representative for Four Seasons did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

“It is long past the day when employers comply with the discriminatory requests of its clients or customers, to the detriment of its Black and Hispanic workers,” Timothy Riera, acting director of the New York District Office, said in the release.

The EEOC’s lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for Eastern District of New York, seeks damages for the impacted workers as well as injunctive relief. The suit follows a failed attempt to reach a settlement.

Four Seasons is a Brooklyn-based company that offers medical care as well as social services to clients, according to its website.

“Our wide range of services are each marked with our personal stamp of excellence, blending the highest levels of care and positive results with the highest levels of customer service,” the website says.

Over 20,000 charges alleging racial discrimination were filed by the EEOC in 2022, according to agency data.

This story was originally published August 2, 2023 at 11:43 AM with the headline "Company ‘routinely’ removed minority health aides because of patient requests, feds say."