Black CNA Says She Got Less Work Than White Colleagues—EEOC Discrimination Lawsuit Claims
- The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has sued a Flint-based homecare agency for racial discrimination.
- The lawsuit alleges that a Black CNA who worked for the company was given fewer hours to patients who "didn't care for Black people."
- The CNA also claims she was fired after complaining about the situation.
A Flint, Michigan-based home care agency has been sued by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) on behalf of a Black certified nursing assistant (CNA) who alleges that the homecare agency gave her fewer hours and less desirable assignments than her white colleagues.
The CNA alleges that Mid-Michigan Home Health & Hospice LLC in Genesee County told TyRhonda Goodman, a Black CNA employed by the company, that they were acquiescing to the desires of their patients in the Grand Blanc area who were "from the old times" and "didn't care for Black people."
Racial Discrimination Claims
Flint, Michigan—where the home care agency was based—has a predominantly Black population, while the Grand Blanc area is predominantly white. In fact, Grand Blanc literally translates to "Great White" in French.
The CNA in the lawsuit is a Black female who says that she was only sent to work in Grand Blanc five times over a two-month span. Her white colleagues, on the other hand, worked over 135 times. The CNA says she was told that the homecare agency, in general, avoided sending Black employees to the Grand Blanc area because their patients in the town did not care for Black people.
Additionally, the CNA says that when she complained to her employers after three assignments in Grand Blanc were taken away from her and given to a white employee, she was fired within 48 hours.
The Lawsuit Details
The lawsuit was filed by the EEOC, based on racial discrimination, and because Goodman was eventually fired. Details of the lawsuit say that although Goodman lived only nine miles from Grand Blanc, she was more frequently scheduled to visit patients in Jackson, Michigan, which is over 90 miles from her house, MLive reported.
Jackson is also a predominantly white area, but it also has a far higher percentage of Black residents than Grand Blanc (20.7% vs. 14.3%).
“Customer preference is not a defense to race discrimination,” Kenneth Bird, regional attorney for the Indianapolis District Office, said, according to the EEOC.
Bird added that it was illegal not to assign the CNA to certain homecare visits because she is Black and that it was also illegal for the company to allegedly fire her for "complaining" about it.
According to the EEOC, the alleged misconduct by MidMichigan Home Health & Hospice violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits racial discrimination and retaliation.
The suit, EEOC v. Mid-Michigan Home Health & Hospice LLC, Case No. 2:26-cv-10632, was filed in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District after a failed. pre-litigation settlement.
Nurse Takeway
In addition to raising awareness about potential ongoing racial discrimination and challenges in Black nursing professionals serving clients who may have anti-Black biases, the lawsuit seeks to send a message and stop the home care company from future unfair labor practices to Black employees.
MLive reports that the lawsuit is hoping to end with a "permanent injunction" to stop Mid-Michigan Home Health & Hospice from "subjecting employees to different conditions of employment based on race" or from "retaliating against employees based on such complaints."
The lawsuit is also seeking backpay, punitive damages, and compensation for past and future financial losses for the CNA who was fired.
On Facebook, news of the lawsuit also brought up commentary from users, with some defending the home care agency's action, saying they were "protecting" the CNA from being alone in a potentially racist environment.
🤔Nurses, what do you think of this lawsuit? Share your experience in the discussion forum below!
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