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Mar 10, 2008 5:50 pm US/Central
Racial Discrimination Lawsuit Settled
DALLAS (CBS 11 News) ―
A settlement has been reached in a long-standing federal lawsuit. It alleged racism and a hostile work environment by an aviation company that operates at DFW International Airport and Love Field.
Attorneys representing the plaintiffs say Allied Aviation has now agreed to settle the case. Allied is the company that fuels the airplanes at DFW, Love Field and 22 other airports across the country.
In the lawsuit, 15 current and former employees say executives of Allied Aviation allowed nooses to be hung in the company's buildings. Swastikas were found on luggage and fuel carts, and racial cartoons were reported to federal officials.
After complaints were filed, employees say the hostile work environment continued. Attorneys say another noose was found at the DFW Airport work site four months ago. We talked to one of the plaintiffs, Eric Mitchell, in 2005. He said, "I personally was even told by some members of upper management that they would show up to my place of residence in their hood and gowns and do damage to me and my family. "
One of the plaintiff's attorneys, James Vagnini, said, "It was a culture. What happened here was expected. It was known. People were told to just deal with it if you want to keep your job, if not find another job. They were trully caught between a rock and a hard place and some people did, some people suffered tremendous emotional harm."
Of those 15 employees who filed the original lawsuit, six still work for Allied Aviation and one has died.
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