Kraft Heinz is currently being sued for $30 million amid allegations of racism in their Tulare plant.[1] The damages are for alleged racially motivated employment practices which violated plaintiff’s rights and litigation costs and expenses.
A myriad of laws protect workers against the alleged treatment by the Kraft Heinz workers, which include the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and 1866, the Americans with Disabilities of 1990, and other public policy laws. The lawsuit claims that under these California state and federal laws, Kraft Heinz is at fault and owes damages to the workers affected by these working conditions.
The Alleged Treatment of the Kraft Heinz Workers
The allegations of racism are severe and claim that the workers had to endure intense harassment just to stay at their positions. Workers claim that obscenities were written on notes and placed in Black employee’s lockers, drawn on the lockers themselves, and racist words and phrases were regularly used in conversation among many employees throughout the company.
The claimed anti-Black abuse came from both peers and supervisors, and these supervisors controlled who received promotions, transfers, and raises. Other non-Black workers would be promoted with less experience as alleged retaliation for reporting racial abuse and favored in the hiring process. Another Black worker stated that the hiring panel was instructed not to hire him even though he had interviewed better than everyone else who applied for the position.
Manager’s Response
When the managers were made aware of this harassment, they told them to allegedly “keep their heads down or else they could join the unemployment line”. They also claim to have been scrutinized more at work and given less desirable assignments than their non-Black coworkers as forms of retaliation for reporting the racist working environment that they were forced to endure. Company negligence is also being alleged by the lawsuit, as managers and supervisors were among the workers who participated in the racist abuse of their workers.
Reach Out to Our Law Firm if you Have Experienced Racial Abuse in the Workplace
If you have been experiencing a hostile and racist working environment, Makarem & Associates in California will handle your case better than any attorney out there. Their dedication, drive, and determination is sure to get you the outcome you deserve. Contact us today at (310) 312-0299 or [email protected].
[1] https:// www.globenewswire.com/ news-release/2021/ 08/19/2283790 /0/en/30-Million- Race-Discrimination- Suit-Filed- Against-Kraft- Heinz-by-Sanford- Heisler-Sharp- on-Behalf- of-Former- Employees. html
