Discrimination Archives - Page 9 of 10

By Rocket55DevAdmin | September 26, 2012

Three women working as limousine drivers in Rochester, Minnesota, are pursuing a sex discrimination claim against their former employer and against Price Abdul-Rahman bin Adbul-Aziz of Saudi Arabia. The women say that they were hired as drivers for the Prince and his entourage when they were in Minnesota for medical treatment at the Mayo Clinic in 2010, but were let go on the second day of a month-long assignment because the Prince requested no female drivers.

The women said that when they arrived to work on the second day, a supervisor told them that his hands were tied and he had to fire them based on the Prince’s request.

By Rocket55DevAdmin | September 9, 2012

Lund Boat Company (and its parent company, Brunswick Corporation) have agreed to pay nearly $300,000 to the federal government following a years-long investigation of hiring practices at a New York Mills, Minnesota, manufacturing facility.

The U.S. Department of Labor began investigating Lund’s manufacturing plant in rural Otter Tail County, Minnesota, back in 2007 following a series of complaints alleging that the company refused to hire qualified female workers at the facility. The USDOL investigation led to further inquiry by the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs and eventually resulted in the federal Office of Administrative Law Judges stepping in to address claims that Lund “systematically discriminated” against women seeking entry-level jobs at its factory.

By Rocket55DevAdmin | August 4, 2012

About 40 former employees of a local dessert company began a discrimination case this week, alleging that the new dress code violated their religious rights. The employees are all Somali women who dress in accordance with their Muslim beliefs. There is a dispute over whether the women were fired or whether they quit, since the discussion about the dress code was apparently presented as a choice to comply or leave.

“Actually, when they asked me to fire them I said, ‘No you need to make that decision regarding your job, it’s a personal choice,'” said the human resources manager at the company.

By Rocket55DevAdmin | July 26, 2012

A former employee is suing the Minnesota state senate, the Secretary of State, and the state of Minnesota alleging that he was the victim of sex discrimination and wrongful termination. The former employee was terminated after it became clear that he had been having an affair with his boss. He says that female employees of the state who have been involved in similar relationships have not been terminated.

Members of the Minnesota senate have repeatedly asserted that they did not wrongfully terminate the man and that he was an at-will employee at the time that he was fired. At-will means that an employer does not need to provide a reason for termination. However, at-will employees are still protected from being fired for an illegal reason including those based on sex or race discrimination.

By Rocket55DevAdmin | July 14, 2012

Many Minnesota shoppers are likely familiar with fast fashion chain Wet Seal. The company owns both Wet Seal stores and Arden B stores, which are ubiquitous in malls around the state and generate about $620 million in sales nationwide each year. The retail chain is now being sued by a group of employees who say that the company systematically discriminates against African American employees.

The lawsuit was filed by a former manager from a Wet Seal location who says she was fired the day after the senior vice president emailed a district manager that said “African American dominate – huge issue.” The filing requests class action status for 250 current and former African American managers from Wet Seal locations around the country.

By Rocket55DevAdmin | July 6, 2012

A trucking company has settled a racial discrimination lawsuit for $11 million, according to a statement from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The EEOC brought the lawsuit on behalf of a group of African American employees who said that they endured race-based harassment and discrimination for many years.

The settlement covers incidents that happened between 2002 and 2009. About 324 employees will be eligible to make claims to portions of the settlement. Among the many allegations made against the trucking company, the employees said that they found hangman’s noses and racist graffiti in a terminal where they often worked.

By Rocket55DevAdmin | April 19, 2012

Everyone who gets up every day and heads off to work deserves to work in an atmosphere free of sexual harassment. An employee should not have to suffer a hostile work environment for fear of losing their ability to provide financially for themselves and their families. Unfortunately some employers either knowingly allow or even actively foster an environment where employees are subject to repeated instances of sexual harassment.

Two employees of a Twin Cities car dealership said that they were no longer willing to work in such a hostile environment and have filed a lawsuit claiming that they experienced discrimination and sexual harassment. The suit claims that the CEO and a variety of other managers and other superiors engaged in the improper behavior.

By Rocket55DevAdmin | March 24, 2012

When Minnesota workers apply for a job, they expect that the employer’s decision will be based on their objective aptitude for the position. Yet some employers still impermissibly hire employees according to their race, national origin or sex. This week, FedEx agreed to settle with the U.S. Department of Labor over allegations that the company engaged in employment discrimination.

The allegations of discrimination were far reaching. According to the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, over 21,000 applicants across 15 states were affected by FedEx’s behavior. The office caught the discriminatory practices because it routinely examines how contractors who work for the government–of which FedEx is one–choose to hire employees.

By Rocket55DevAdmin | February 13, 2012

Both Minnesota and federal law protect employees who report illegal activities taking place in their workplace. Under these laws, it is generally illegal for an employer to retaliate against whistleblowers by firing or demoting them, among other actions.

Recently, a federal judge ordered the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, to reinstate an employee who had reportedly complained about the poor maintenance of the clinic’s vehicles.

By Rocket55DevAdmin | February 9, 2012

A home-improvement retail giant has settled a $1 million class action lawsuit which began after several minority employees complained about discrimination.

Most people in the Minneapolis and St. Paul area are family with Menards. The company has 262 stores in 13 states in the Midwest. In 2004, several Menards employees complained to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission that they were held back within the company because of their race.