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Man claims discrimination after unfair treatment and race remarks

On Behalf of | Oct 2, 2014 | Employment Disputes |

A former employee of the Klein School District claims that the reason he lost his job was because of the color of his skin. The black employee had worked for his Texas employer since 1990 and started there as a grounds crewman. Six years later, he was promoted to an HVAC technician. During his tenure, and up until 2013, he claimed that he never had any negative complaints or poor performance reviews from his superiors. After standing up for alleged unfair treatment in the workplace, he became the victim of racial discrimination.

According to his lawsuit, during his time with the school, he was the subject of racial remarks and also heard the remarks made to other employees by workers in the maintenance department as well as his superiors. He alleges that his work was more closely monitored than the other employees. The plaintiff complained to his superiors about the unfair treatment, but he claims that nothing was ever done to remedy the problem.

In 2013, the plaintiff was put on a plan to help improve his work performance. He believes that the reason that he was placed on the plan was because he had previously spoken up about the comments and treatment of black workers. The man then filed a grievance and had a meeting with the human resources director, who allegedly told him that Texas is a right-to-work state and that he could lose his job at any point. A short time after the grievance was filed, the plaintiff stated that he received additional discipline.

Due to his treatment, the former technician filed a claim against the school district and is accusing them of racial discrimination. If the court rules in his favor, he will receive the monetary damages as well as reimbursement for the legal costs he is requesting. Texas workers who feel that they have been the victim of discrimination may choose to file a complaint against their employer. If the claim is successfully navigated, the worker may receive financial relief and be returned to work, if applicable, based upon the evidence of the discrimination.

Source: The Southeast Texas Record, “Klein School District accused of discrimination“, Andrea Dearden, Sept. 20, 2014

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