San Antonio Employment Law Blog

Class action discrimination suit filed in Texas against Firestone

Workers here in San Antonio are protected from being discriminated at work both under Texas state and federal employment laws. Employers may not deny employment or promotions to job applicants, or fire employees, based on any of the following classifications: race, gender, national origin, age, religion, pregnancy or disability, among others.

Those who are discriminated against in the workplace have the right to seek justice. At the end of last month, several employees of Firestone Polymers filed a class action workplace discrimination lawsuit against the rubber and tire company in an Eastern Texas court.

The workers said that they were frequently subjected to racial slurs on the job and that supervisors at Firestone exhibited a pattern of promoting workers based on race. The black male employees said that less-qualified white employees were always selected over black employees for promotions.

The lawsuit also alleges that the plant where the men work in Orange County, Texas, has a disturbing history of racial discrimination. Not only does the plant consider race when it comes to rates of pay and promotion decisions, it has also demonstrated a pattern of routing black employees into undesirable manual labor jobs, and denying them training opportunities, according to the suit.

The eight men have requested an unspecified amount of damages.

Workers in Texas do not have to sit back and accept it if their employers are discriminating against them. A legal claim can provide monetary damages as well as injunctive relief.

Additionally, employers cannot legally retaliate against a worker who files a discrimination complaint. If an employer fires or demotes an employee because he or she filed a complaint, the worker has the right hold the employer accountable by seeking legal recourse.

Source: The Southeast Texas Record, “Firestone employees file class action over racial discrimination,” Michelle Keahey, July 10, 2012

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