Mitsubishi Electric US Facing Claims of Racial Harassment & Discrimination

/
Mitsubishi Electric US Facing Claims of Racial Harassment and Discriminatio.jpg

Four Black construction workers in Mitsubishi Electric US’s escalator and elevator division filed a lawsuit in California Superior Court alleging harassment and discrimination. 

Black Workers Allege Mitsubishi Electric US Supervisors Harassed and Discriminated

The four Mitsubishi Electric US workers filed suit in California Superior Court alleging that the company allowed their supervisors to harass them, use racial slurs and images, and discriminate against them by passing them over for training opportunities, pay raises, chances for overtime, and career advancement. 

Complaints of Race-Based Harassment and Discrimination Allegedly Ignored: 

The four plaintiffs in the case claim that in addition to the race-based harassment and discrimnation they were subjected to constantly on San Francisco Bay Area job sites, their complaints about the inappropriate behavior were ignored. Plaintiffs claim they complained directly to Mitsubishi’s Human Resources department with the original complaint dating back to 2016. Plaintiffs claim their complaints were ignored for years. When some of the offending employees were eventually disciplined, the plaintiffs claim Mitsubishi did nothing to prevent similar behavior in the future, and this inaction fed the hostile workplace environment. 

Plaintiffs Seek Monetary Damages and Court Order to Change Mitsubishi Policies: 

The plaintiffs in the case seek monetary damages, but they also seek changes to Mitsubishi policy. They’d like a court order for Mitsubishi to provide better training for their employees regarding common problems and issues like race discrimination, harasssment and retaliation. The plaintiffs would also like the court to order Mitsubishi to conduct more thorough investigations into similar incidents in the future and to take more effective action to address racist acts in the workplace and graffiti on job sites. 

The Lawsuit Includes Evidence of Extended Harassment: 

The lawsuit’s written allegations are supported by papers and images and evidence supporting the claims such as: photos of racist images, objects and graffiti allegedly taken at various Mitsubishi job sites. Some of the allegations made in the lawsuit include: 

  • Supervisors calling plaintiffs “undesirables,” “lazy,” and the N-word. 

  • Supervisors joking about lynching. 

  • Visual images including “KKK,” swastikas, black monkeys, the N-word, Satanic stars, etc. at job sites. 

  • A noose was left on a barricade next to one of the plaintiff’s assigned job areas (photo included in the lawsuit documentation). 

  • Supervisors assigning the plaintiffs to menial job tasks, and assigning them as “helpers” to less experienced White workers despite experience or skill level. 

  • One of the plaintiffs had a stroke (allegedly due to stress caused by the hostile work environment). He was allegedly fired while recuperating at home).

If you need to talk about employment law violations, or if you need to file a California discrimination or wrongful termination lawsuit, we can help. Get in contact with Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik DeBlouw LLP. Experienced employment law attorneys are ready to assist you in any one of various law firm offices located in San Diego, San Francisco, Sacramento, Los Angeles, Riverside, and Chicago.