Trucking firm settles racial harassment lawsuit with EEOC
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A California trucking company has reached a $30,000 settlement with the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in a lawsuit involving the alleged racial harassment of a black truck driver.
The agency announced Friday that Lonnie Winstead, a driver for Yuba City, Calif.-based Sutter Transfer Service Inc., previously known as Fiveway L.L.C., was targeted by his dispatcher with racially offensive comments and epithets, including “gorilla” and “porch monkey.”
The EEOC said no effective action was taken and the harassment continued, even though other truck drivers witnessed it and one unidentified white co-worker had complained about it to management.
Under a consent decree resolving the lawsuit, Sutter will pay Mr. Winstead and the complaining white driver $30,000 and provide annual anti-harassment training for all employees, among other actions.
EEOC San Francisco district director Michael Baldonado said in a statement, “We hope this resolution sends a clear message: Employers that receive notice of racial harassment should take prompt and effective measures to investigate, stop any unlawful conduct, and discipline those responsible.”
A Sutter spokesman could not immediately be reached for comment.
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