FREE CONSULTATIONS:
415.925.5161
African American factory worker sues employer over KKK hood incident
An African American factory worker sued his former employer for racial discrimination after claiming he was fired in retaliation for reporting an allegedly racist workplace incident.
Isiah Washington, 27, said coworkers targeted him by hanging a Ku Klux Klan “hood” directly above his workstation in April 2015. According to the lawsuit, “The plastic sheet was white in color and it clearly had eyehole cuts to make it appear as a Ku Klux Klan hood, known worldwide as a symbol of racial hatred and terror against African Americans.” Washington filed the lawsuit against his Riverside, California-based employer Sierra Aluminum Company in Riverside Superior Court.
The former packer complained to his supervisor and requested him to take down the KKK symbol, according to the lawsuit. However, the supervisor allegedly called him a “puto” — a derogatory term for “homosexual” in Spanish. He and other workers began laughing at Washington while the sheet remained above his workstation for another hour.
When Washington reported the incident to the company’s human resources department, the complaint was ignored and he was told a gust of wind blew the sheet in. The lawsuit claimed Washington suffered “severe emotional distress, anxiety and fear” as a result. He was also subjected to daily derogatory comments from his coworkers.
A few months later Washington accidentally cut his thumb while moving aluminum. Although the packer claimed he was fine, the next day his supervisor insisted someone drive him to the company doctor. When Washington refused and suggested he could drive himself, he was told that he could no longer see the doctor.
Washington then decided to visit the doctor on his own and was cleared to work. However, the following day he was fired for “not following company policy.” He claimed the company used the incident as an excuse to terminate him in retaliation for reporting the KKK hood incident.
[footer block_id=’778′]
Read more
Bay Area Subway Franchisee Faces Closure and $1 Million Penalty for Wage Theft
The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California ordered a 14-unit Subway franchisee in the San Francisco Bay Area to either close or sell their stores. The employers must pay…
Bay Area Fire District Pays $100,000 Settlement for Withdrawing Job Offer Based on Applicant’s Criminal Record
The Moraga-Orinda Fire Protection District (MOFD) agreed to pay nearly $97,500 to settle a case brought against it by a job applicant. The settlement, announced by the California Civil Rights Department, stems…
Deaf FedEx Package Handler Gets $2 Million in Disability Discrimination Case
A former package handler at FedEx Ground who is deaf won a $2 million jury award in a disability discrimination lawsuit. The case highlights the need for employers to proactively address workers’…
What the California Supreme Court’s Decision in the Uber Lawsuit Means for Gig Workers
For years, there has been an ongoing struggle between maintaining the convenience and flexibility of the gig economy and protecting the rights of workers who try to make a living within its…