Sweetgreen, the popular fast food restaurant that serves salads, is facing a lawsuit filed by several employees who claimed they were racially discriminated against and that their general managers fostered a hostile work environment.
The lawsuit obtained by Axios lists ten employees — who worked at multiple locations throughout New York City — as plaintiffs. It was filed in the New York Supreme Court in the Bronx on Thursday and amended a previous complaint filed earlier this year that included two plaintiffs, the outlet reported.
The plaintiffs comprise Black men and women and said they were subjected to racial slurs and derogatory terms from their peers and supervisors. They said they were labeled the N-word “gorilla,” “negro” or “negra” by Hispanic co-workers, according to the lawsuit. In separate incidents, the plaintiffs claimed their colleagues commented, “This monkey doesn’t know how to toss salad correctly” or “Fix your hair.”
[Note: Can we plz check if Getty has any images of the outside of a Sweetgreen restaurant. maybe this could work: https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/sign-for-sweetgreen-restaurant-in-walnut-creek-california-news-photo/1461755026?adppopup=true]
Some people in the group also claimed that management favored Hispanic workers who were less qualified by giving them more hours, better shifts, higher pay, and promotional opportunities. In addition, when some of them made a report to their supervisor or human resources department, they failed to address their concerns adequately.
Related: ‘Black People Are F—ing Lazy’: Texas Company Displayed Hate Symbols and Nooses, Allowed Managers to Call Black Employees the N-Word, Alarming EEOC Lawsuit Alleges
In the lawsuit, the woman alleged that they were targeted because of their gender and experienced sexual harassment at work, including touching that made them uncomfortable.
Multiple employees shared their experience…
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