Paramount Staffing Owned and Ran By HISPANICS in Memphis, Discriminated Against Blacks, Were SUED by the EEOC and the EEOC WON!! Memphis Tennessee
During a period of unemployment I sent over my resume to Paramount Staffing, located at 5888 Distribution Drive, in Memphis, TN. I had over 15 years of office experience and a B.B.A. in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance. I was more than qualified for an office job, especially through a rinky dink little temp agency like theirs. It wasn't as if they were staffing for the CIA or some big time government position anyway. Most of their jobs paid minimum wage or just a few dollars above.
I got a call from a woman from their office and she was thrilled with my resume and told me she had a job for me. Pretty much guaranteed me the job over the phone. I am black but I have a hispanic sounding first name but I didn't think she was looking at my name....
UNTIL I SHOWED UP IN PERSON...
I am a well dressed and well presented person. However, when I went to their office it was staffed by all hispanics. At the time I didn't know the man who owned the agency was hispanic too. It shouldn't have mattered really. When I went up to the window she looked at me and stated she didn't have anything. I told her I was the person she had spoken to on the phone and she had liked my resume. She was very nonchalant about the matter.
I stepped to the side. There were two hispanic women directly behind me. She hired them both. Apparently the company needed several office workers. When I asked them if they had experience they said no. I asked them about their education and they could barely speak english but through their broken english they said they had not gone to college.
I was stunned and approached the window again. The woman would not have it and sent me on my way. I left and later found a good job on my own.
About a year later I recieved a call from Nashville, Tennessee. Out the blue. I answered and it was a lawyer for the EEOC. I wasn't sure how she even got my number. I had never filed with the EEOC. She told me the EEOC was sending down several attorneys to Memphis and that they had filed suit against three businesses in Memphis for discriminating against blacks and she named Paramount Staffing. I was floored. I remembered when I had applied and been rejected.
To make a long story short we met and were interviewed. The EEOC won that lawsuit.
About a month after the EEOC won the lawsuit a funny thing happened. The owner of the company suddenly gave me a call. He sounded genuinely interested in me and promised me an office job in his company and told me over the phone I could have it if I wanted it. I declined his offer.
I hope this company has truly changed its ways.