Three Workers with Disabilities Previously Paid Subminimum Wages Sue Roppe Industries for Employment Discrimination
December 18, 2018
The National Federation of the Blind Supports Litigation Brought by Brown, Goldstein & Levy, LLP, and Disability Rights Ohio
Three long-time employees of Seneca Re-Ad, a workshop in Fostoria that acts as the Sampling Division for the manufacturer Roppe Corporation, are hoping to gain an equal chance to do their jobs and access the same advancement, pay and benefit opportunities as other Roppe workers. A lawsuit filed today in the Federal District Court for the Northern District of Ohio by Disability Rights Ohio (DRO) and the Baltimore law firm of Brown, Goldstein & Levy, with support from the National Federation of the Blind, alleges discrimination by Roppe and Seneca Re-Ad with assistance from the Seneca County Board of Developmental Disabilities.
The complaint outlines a number of ways in which Roppe Corporation, an internationally -known flooring manufacturer that reported sales of $72.7 million in 2017, publicly considers Seneca Re-Ad a critical part of its organization but fails to meet its equal employment responsibilities under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). For instance, Roppe clients are often given tours of the organization’s manufacturing facilities, with a stop at what it calls [...]