Several employees have reported incidents of racial intimidation at GM's powertrain plant in Toledo, Ohio.
The U.S. automotive assembly plant is the last bastion of approved racial and sexual discrimination if recent events, i.e. lawsuits, are to be believed.
In the past two days, lawsuits filed against General Motors and Ford for racial and sexual discrimination have brought to light behavior thought by many to have been banished to the history books.
GM’s powertrain plant in Toledo, Ohio, was allegedly the scene of racial discrimination and intimidation on a daily basis, according to the contents of lawsuits and complaints filed with state agencies in Ohio. Two supervisors at the facility were taunted, disrespected and their complaints ignored by management, including the discovery of a noose in an area where one of the men worked.
Former supervisor Marcus Boyd told CNN the powertrain plant was a workplace where people declared bathrooms were for “whites only,” where black supervisors were denounced as “boy” and ignored by their subordinates, where black employees were called “monkey,” or told to “go back to Africa.”
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A fellow supervisor, Derrick Brooks, and Boyd were so concerned for their well-being that they would check in with each other throughout the day, borrowing military-style language favored by former Marine Brooks, telling each other “I’ve got your six,” meaning they were watching each other’s backs.
In addition to the noose, Boyd and Brooks were subjected to a variety of slurs, including the N-word, on a daily basis. Despite repeated complaints to plant management, little or nothing was done to address the issues. According to the lawsuit Boyd and eight other black employees filed against GM for allowing an “underlying atmosphere of violent racial hate and bullying.”
GM rejects that characterization, offering a statement saying held mandatory meetings and closed the plant for a day to have training for every shift.
GM is being sued by a group of employees who alleged they were harassed by others using racial slurs and threats, including nooses.
“Every day, everyone at General Motors is expected to uphold a set of values that are integral to the fabric of our culture,” GM said in the statement. “Discrimination and harassment are not acceptable and [are] in stark contrast to how we expect people to show up at work.
“We treat any reported incident with sensitivity and urgency, and are committed to providing an environment that is safe, open and inclusive. General Motors is taking this matter seriously and addressing it through the appropriate court process.”
Despite the company’s protestation, additional employees filed police reports and others filed complaints with the Ohio Civil Rights Commission, which conducted a nine-month investigation of the plants, finding that GM allowed a racially hostile environment.
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Darlene Sweeney-Newbern, the commission’s director of regional operations, told CNN the racist behavior at Toledo Powertrain was among the worst cases her team has seen, with incidents happening while the commission was investigating, according to Sweeney-Newbern. And she rejected GM’s defense that it had taken appropriate action.
“GM did not deny that these things were taking place. They simply said, ‘Hey as soon as we heard of these things we moved in and we took action.’ That is not what we found in the investigation,” she said.
As GM is recovering from these charges, Ford was sued for sexual harassment by an employee, DeAnna Johnson, who alleges a supervisor made lewd comments to her, attempted to touch her inappropriately and refused to stop when asked. Her complaints were also ignored.
A worker at Ford's Dearborn Truck Plant sued the company in U.S. District Court in Detroit.
“Ford does not tolerate sexual harassment or discrimination,” Ford spokeswoman Kelli Felker said in a statement to the Detroit News. “We take those claims very seriously and investigate them thoroughly. While we have not received this lawsuit, we are aware of the allegations. The plaintiff filed a Human Resources complaint in November 2018.
“We launched an investigation, immediately suspended the employee that was the subject of the complaint, then fired him in December. Ford also interviewed every supervisor who the plaintiff claims had knowledge of her allegations prior to her Human Resources complaint and found that the only supervisor to whom she complained immediately referred her complaint to Human Resources.”
The new charges come just about a year after Ford CEO Jim Hackett traveled to the company’s Chicago assembly plant to tell workers face-to-face that behavior like that, which had a long history in the plant, was no longer acceptable. The company paid $10 million to settle charges at the Chicago plant.
Hackett also made three-minute video denouncing this type of behavior, which was shown on a loop at the company’s plants across the U.S. The behavior at the Dearborn Truck Plant mirrors that of what happened in Chicago, according to the News.
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Johnson is suing Ford in U.S. District Court in Detroit. The suit alleges one count of allowing a sexually hostile work environment in violation of Michigan’s Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act; one count of racial harassment; and one count of sexual assault and battery. Johnson wants back pay for wages lost while on leave in addition to other damages.