$175M lawsuit against Super Steel alleges discrimination

[JI7]

<Nine current and former black employees of Super Steel Schenectady, a locomotive manufacturer in Glenville, N.Y., filed a $175 million federal class action lawsuit Tuesday claiming they have had to endure racial discrimination and hostility that is "deeply imbedded" in the company's culture.

The nine employees said they have endured threats of physical violence and racist taunts. They claim a typical shift requires avoiding the "white" sections of the break areas and using a rest room with racist graffiti. In January, a black employee found a stuffed monkey hanging from a noose and a racist message written inside the door of his locker.

"Super Steel has repeatedly made decisions that create and cultivate an atmosphere where its African-American employees are threatened, harassed, criticized and denied advancement," said David Sanford, a prominent civil rights attorney in Washington, D.C. "All of the plaintiffs who came to Schenectady from the South have since returned home."

A spokeswoman for Super Steel Products, the Milwaukee, Wis.-based parent company of Super Steel Schenectady, said the company has not yet seen the lawsuit, which was filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York, in Albany.

"However we want to reiterate that the company does not condone or tolerate unlawful discrimination or harassment against any of our employees," Melissa Schumer said. "The company has strongly worded policies and procedures in place to prevent these types of things from happening." >


http://milwaukee.bizjournals.com/albany/stories/2006/04/17/daily13.html