ups violates us disability laws, lawsuit alleges
UPS violates US disability laws, lawsuit alleges September 10, 2004 4:36am ET (Reuters)
NEW YORK, Sept 10 (Reuters) - United Parcel Service Inc. was hit with a lawsuit that claims the world's biggest package carrier violates U.S. disability laws in ways that leave some employees out of work, lawyers for the plaintiffs said on Friday.
The lawsuit, which class-action specialist Scott + Scott LLC said it filed with the U.S. District Court in Pittsburgh, charges Atlanta-based UPS with systematic violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the U.S. law protecting the disabled from discrimination.
The plaintiffs are seeking a permanent injunction barring UPS from violating the ADA, and a requirement that the company adopt new policies barring employment discrimination based on disability. UPS might also face millions of dollars of damages, Scott + Scott said in a press release.
Calls to UPS and the lawyers were not immediately returned. A copy of the complaint was not immediately available.
According to the plaintiffs' lawyers, UPS refuses to determine the extent of workers' disabilities and the work the employees can handle. They said UPS instead conducts "sham" investigations that lead to decisions that the employees cannot work, or are healthy enough not to require company assistance -- either way, effectively leaving the employees out of a job.
The lawyers said their lawsuit also alleges that UPS requires workers returning from a medical leave of absence to first provide a "full" medical release, and won't reinstate permanently disabled employees when doing so might pose an undue hardship on the company. It also said UPS refuses to allow employees who file workers compensation or discrimination claims to return to work.
"This case is about protecting workers' federally recognized rights and ensuring that injured workers have a job to return to," Anita Laing, a lawyer for Scott + Scott, said in the statement.
