Burlington Northern Stops Genetic Testing

Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad agreed to stop genetic testing of employees who filed claims for work-related injuries after the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) filed suit. Allegedly tests were conducted on 20 employees to detect chromosome 17 deletion, which has been linked to a predisposition for carpal tunnel syndrome. The EEOC, in its suit, claimed that employees were not asked to consent to the tests, and that at least one worker was threatened with termination for refusing to supply a blood sample. Burlington Northern disputes the claim that any retaliatory action wa...