BLACK EMPLOYEE WAS SUBJECTED TO VERBAL ABUSE, INCLUDING “N-WORD”
In a lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), Sun Chemical Corporation was alleged to have violated federal law when it failed to properly address a “racially hostile work environment” at one of its facilities.
Apparently, a co-worker “verbally and physically harassed [the victim] with profanity in the lunchroom, followed him into the locker room, slammed his hand into the locker next to the employee, and called him the N-word.” While management was aware of the misconduct, it failed to take appropriate action. Instead, it supposedly issued a written warning to the Black employee.
Believing that such conduct violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the EEOC filed suit (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Sun Chemical Corp., Civil Action No. 4:23-cv-00694) in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri, seeking monetary damages and injunctive relief.
In a written statement, Andrea G. Baran, regional attorney for the EEOC’s St. Louis District Office, noted that “Preventing workplace harassment requires actions, not just policies …. Employers must hold employees accountable for compliance with anti-harassment policies, and they cannot ignore it when workers use racial slurs or make physical threats.”
Let the sun shine in!
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