Black American Airlines employees claim they were called ‘circus monkeys’ by managers
Eighty African-American employees at American Airlines claim in a lawsuit that they were victims of racial discrimination.
The employees in Philadelphia and Washington D.C. are asking Attorney General Loretta Lynch to investigate the incident.
Workers say managers called them “circus monkeys,” “the n-word,” “ghetto,” “Darfur.” The managers also allegedly referred to segregated break areas as the “Black Panther break room” and “chocolate break room.”
The lawsuit also alleges that the “managers did not provide overtime opportunities for minority workers, enforced unfair punishment on African American workers in comparison to white workers, and refused to give African-American workers proper training, leaving them unqualified for some job opportunities,” NBC Philadelphia reports.
African-American workers also claim that they were denied opportunities for advancement and made to work in unsafe conditions.
“This allegation is what started our investigation into the safety practices of this airline,” read a letter from the employees’ attorney. “Our clients alleged that white employees were routinely allowed by managers to reserve the best tugs, trucks, lifts and other equipment for their use, to the exclusion of Black employees. Black employees have been forced to work on the unsafe equipment that is described in detail in the Safety Complaint, and which equipment both the FAA and OSHA have con-firmed does not comply with federal standards.”
American-Airlines denies the discrimination allegations.
“Diversity and inclusion are fundamental to our airline,” the spokesperson wrote. “Ours is a diverse workforce serving customers who are equally diverse, and we are committed to fostering a work environment that is based on collaborative team-work and mutual respect. We will vigorously defend our company and the hard-working employees who provide top-quality service to our customers each and every day.”
