The federal government has taken action against a North Dakota company after a Black employee endured being called racial slurs and was threatened with violence by white coworkers and supervisors for at least three years.
According to the lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on May 4, Hayward Jones was called the N-word and a monkey, and a supervisor threatened to “slap the black off” and lynch him while he was employed at LM Wind Power Blades Inc.
The federal agency filed the lawsuit after failed attempts to agree to a settlement.
Related: ‘She Begged Me to Turn White’: Michigan Family Sues District for Not Protecting Their Adopted Black Daughter from Years of Racial Harassment
“No person should have to endure hateful racial slurs and threats of violence as the price of coming to work,” said Greg Gochanour, regional attorney for the EEOC’s Chicago District Office, in a statement. “Federal discrimination laws make it clear that workplace harassment is illegal, and employers are responsible for stopping it. It is imperative that complaints of harassment be taken seriously and addressed without delay.”
The lawsuit alleges the wind turbine blade manufacturer violated Title VII, which prohibits both racial harassment and retaliation against workers.
Jones allegedly faced racial harassment while he worked at the General Electric affiliate since 2016.
In one incident, a white supervisor threatened to hang him from a bridge or drag him behind a truck. His coworkers also took their racist bullying online, tagging him in Facebook posts discussing “white power.”
The EEOC says the threats and harassment subjected Jones to a hostile working environment, and the agency accused the company of worsening the situation by not promptly taking corrective steps to stop or prevent the maltreatment of Jones.
According to the federal complaint, Jones reported the harassment to management and…
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