Nine former employees of a Michigan trucking company have faced racist taunts and harassment, including discovering the words “KKK” and slurs like the N-word scrawled on their doors. He claims he was forced to use a designated toilet. They are “beaners” and “porch monkeys,” according to the federal lawsuit.
Workers at Lake Orion, Michigan-based Environmental Wood Solutions Inc. allege in a lawsuit filed in the U.S. Eastern District of Michigan that they were forced to use segregated bathrooms.
One of the plaintiffs, Darryl Morgan, 57, a black man from Fraser, Michigan, said truck drivers are paid less than their white counterparts.
Morgan claimed in court documents that she was racially harassed, including being called a “forest monkey” who “frequently and openly used the N-word.”
According to court documents, Morgan observed a note left in a communal microwave by a white co-worker that read:[N-words] will be [N-words]”
Another plaintiff, Chiquita Gillette, 48, of Harper Woods, Michigan, is the widow of Jesus Gillette, who died of a massive heart attack last summer. According to the Detroit Free Press.
Chiquita Gillette claimed her late husband was subjected to “racial harassment” and “unequal pay.”
She told the Free Press that her husband attended a senior management meeting where she heard racial slurs.
“Someone called him the N-word,” she said. “They had words.”
Another former employee, Luis Quiroz Gonzalez, said he was called a “beaner” on his first day at EWS in December 2022.
“On the radio they called me Beaner, Spic. It never stopped,” Gonzalez told the Free Press.
Gonzalez claimed that he earned less than the white man and was frequently called a “tamale,” “redneck,” and “wetback” in conversations over the company’s wireless system.
The suit alleges that he was released in retaliation after he complained of harassment.
A company spokesperson denied the allegations.
“At Environmental Wood Solutions, we remain disappointed by the baseless allegations made by several former employees and intend to vigorously defend against these claims,” the company told the Post.
EWS said it “complies with federal, state, and local anti-discrimination laws” and “strictly prohibits unlawful discrimination and harassment.”
A company spokesperson said: “Our commitment to a diverse, inclusive and respectful workplace is unwavering and we ensure all team members are treated with dignity and respect.” he told the Post.
A spokesperson said the company “[s] We take all allegations of discrimination and harassment seriously; [has] Comprehensive reporting and investigation procedures to appropriately address them. ”
