Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
GM Workers Hung 'Whites Only' Bathroom Signs and Nooses at Toledo Plant: Lawsuit
GM Workers Hung 'Whites Only' Bathroom Signs and Nooses at Toledo Plant: Lawsuit
Ryan Felton
Yesterday 6:36pm
A new lawsuit filed in federal court alleges General Motors failed to address a rampant culture of racism at its Toledo transmission plant. There, black workers were subjected to “whites only” bathroom signs, routinely called racist slurs, and nooses were left hanging in plain sight on numerous occasions, the suit says.
The lawsuit, first reported by The Detroit Free Press and which you can read below, says GM’s failure to “take prompt corrective action” resulted in an “atmosphere whereby the hate-driven employees felt free to hang nooses, display racist graffiti, and verbally attack and racially insult African-Americans.”
That includes Mark Edwards, a 59-year-old worker who told the Freep that he discovered a noose hanging by his work station in March 2017.
Per the Freep:
The lawsuit, the Freep notes, goes on to say that whit{e} employees regularly called black workers “boy,” swastikas were painted on restroom stalls, and claims one white supervisor at a meeting said: “What’s the big deal about nooses? There was never a black person who was lynched that didn’t deserve it.”
{snip}
Ryan Felton
Yesterday 6:36pm
A new lawsuit filed in federal court alleges General Motors failed to address a rampant culture of racism at its Toledo transmission plant. There, black workers were subjected to “whites only” bathroom signs, routinely called racist slurs, and nooses were left hanging in plain sight on numerous occasions, the suit says.
The lawsuit, first reported by The Detroit Free Press and which you can read below, says GM’s failure to “take prompt corrective action” resulted in an “atmosphere whereby the hate-driven employees felt free to hang nooses, display racist graffiti, and verbally attack and racially insult African-Americans.”
That includes Mark Edwards, a 59-year-old worker who told the Freep that he discovered a noose hanging by his work station in March 2017.
Per the Freep:
“I was startled, really startled by it,” said Edwards, who took a picture of it. “I couldn’t believe someone did that. I couldn’t understand who in my work area disliked me that much or had that much hatred to hang a noose by my job.”
Edwards, who has worked for GM in various plants since 1977, said he has endured racial slurs and harassment for years from coworkers. He reported each incident to his union reps and managers. He said nothing was done to end it.
The noose was too much, though. Edwards said that in 1968, his then-19-year-old brother was tied up by rope and beaten in a racially motivated attack. It left his brother brain-damaged, he said.
The lawsuit, the Freep notes, goes on to say that whit{e} employees regularly called black workers “boy,” swastikas were painted on restroom stalls, and claims one white supervisor at a meeting said: “What’s the big deal about nooses? There was never a black person who was lynched that didn’t deserve it.”
{snip}
8 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
= new reply since forum marked as read
