By Daniel Wiessner
Feb 18 (Reuters) – A U.S. civil rights agency has sued a bottler and distributor of Coca-Cola products it accuses of sex discrimination over an employee networking event that excluded men, its first lawsuit over workplace diversity programs since President Donald Trump took office.
The lawsuit, filed Tuesday by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, says Coca-Cola Beverages Northeast violated federal law when it hosted the event for about 250 female employees at a casino in Connecticut in September 2024.
The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment. It is owned by Kirin Holdings, a Japanese company. Coca-Cola is not a defendant in the case.
The case in New Hampshire federal court is an early test of claims by Trump administration officials, including EEOC Chair Andrea Lucas, that many common workplace diversity, equity and inclusion programs amount to unlawful reverse discrimination.
Trump, a Republican, has moved aggressively to eradicate DEI from the federal government, the private sector and higher education, saying it is discriminatory and erodes merit-based decision-making.
DEI refers to a broad array of programs and policies that supporters say promote the fair treatment and full participation of groups that historically have been underrepresented or faced discrimination.
The commission is investigating Nike and Northwestern Mutual Insurance for allegedly discriminating against white workers, and last year demanded that 20 major law firms turn over information on their DEI policies.
But the lawsuit against the Coca-Cola bottler is the first by the EEOC to claim that a diversity-focused workplace program is unlawful.
The EEOC’s acting general counsel, Catherine Eschbach, said that excluding a protected class of workers such as men from any employer-sponsored event is illegal.
“The EEOC remains committed to ensuring that all employees – men and women alike – enjoy equal access to all aspects of their employment,” Eschbach said in a statement.
The commission said in the lawsuit that the two-day networking event featured a social reception, team-building exercises, recreational activities and speakers including a top executive at Coca-Cola.
Coca-Cola Beverages Northeast excused female employees who attended the event from their normal work duties without requiring them to use paid time off, and covered all of their hotel room charges, according to the lawsuit.
(Reporting by Daniel Wiessner in Albany, New York; Editing by Alexia Garamfalvi and Edmund Klamann)
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