Regions Bank settles discrimination suit
Regions Bank, a subsidiary of Regions Financial Corp., settled a disability and age-discrimination lawsuit Friday with a former employee for $95,000.
The former Regions Bank branch manager claimed she was denied reasonable accommodation for her physical disabilities and was fired in 2012 because of her age.
In the lawsuit filed with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the woman, whose name was not released, stated that she was denied a demotion to a less stressful and demanding position and was treated less favorably than younger managers before she was fired.
The then 61-year-old woman had worked for Regions since 2005 and for its predecessor for more than 30 years.
“This resolution is another demonstration of the EEOC’s commitment to eradicating age and disability discrimination in the workplace,” Faye A. Williams, regional attorney for the commission’s Memphis district office, said in a news release.
“The relief we obtained in this case provides for the discrimination victim and puts measures in place to protect other Regions Bank employees in the future.” - Tina Parker
Fort Smith company to add 40 positions
An oilfield equipment company in Fort Smith plans to add 40 new employees and spend $8 million to expand its plant.
Butler and Cook Inc. is adding new machinery in the next two years for the “production of components,” said David Gossett, operations manager for the company.
Gossett said the company has already spent $1.6 million on equipment in the past three months and made about 10 of the 40 new hires.
He said the new full-time jobs are for several positions, including machine operators, programmers and quality control technicians.
Gossett said Butler and Cook Inc. is in the process of applying for incentives from the state to help with its expansion.
- Jessica Seaman
Arkansas Index rises 3.66, ends at 334.10
The Arkansas Index, a price-weighted index that tracks the largest public companies based in the state, rose 3.66 to 334.10 Friday.
Shares of Deltic Timber Corp. rose 4 percent to $66.90, while Dillard’s Inc.
shares rose 3.4 percent to $95.58.
Tyson Foods shares fell 1.86 percent to $33.21, and Murphy Oil Corp. fell 1.27 percent to $63.59.
For the week, 12 stocks advanced while four fell.
PAM Transportation was unchanged.
Acxiom Corp. shares rose 5.9 percent for the week to $38.30.
First Federal Bancshares lost 4.4 percent for the week, declining to $8.65, and Wal-Mart Store shares dropped 0.8 percent to $77.43.
Average daily volume for the index was 20.1 million shares.
The index was developed by Bloomberg News and the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette with a base value of 100 as of Dec. 30, 1997.
Business, Pages 27 on 12/21/2013