White employer told Black worker he wanted to kill and drag him behind truck, feds say
White employees at a North Dakota company reportedly subjected a Black colleague to a prolonged racially-motivated harassment campaign in which slurs were used and threats of violence were made, federal officials said.
The company, LM Wind Power Blades, a manufacturer of wind turbine components, is the subject of a lawsuit filed on May 4 by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), according to a news release from the agency.
“LM Wind Power has not and does not tolerate discrimination, harassment or retaliation of any kind,” a company spokesperson told McClatchy News in an email. “LM Wind Power took appropriate action and we look forward to a respectful and fair resolution of the matter.”
According to the lawsuit, “white co-workers referred to the employee using the N-word, described him as a ‘monkey’ on social media, and tagged him in online posts discussing white power,” officials said.
The harassment was not only perpetrated by colleagues, but also by a supervisor, officials said.
On one occasion, his boss expressed his desire to hang the employee from a bridge or haul him behind a vehicle, officials said.
Although the employee regularly complained, the company allowed the abuse to continue, officials said.
The reported behavior violates the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which outlaws harassment based on race.
“No person should have to endure hateful racial slurs and threats of violence as the price of coming to work,” Greg Gochanour, regional attorney for the EEOC’s Chicago District Office, stated in the release.
“It is imperative that complaints of harassment be taken seriously and addressed without delay,” he added.
The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of North Dakota after an unsuccessful attempt to reach a settlement.
LM Wind Power Blades, according to its website, says it has over 10,000 employees and is the world’s preferred supplier of blades for wind turbines. “Almost every fifth turbine in the world is fitted with LM Wind Power blades,” the site states.
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