CLAIRE RUSH
Updated Sat, September 30, 2023
On Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2023, a federal agency sued the restaurant chain Chipotle, accusing it of religious harassment and retaliation after a manager at a Kansas location forcibly removed an employee's hijab, a headscarf worn by some Muslim women.
(AP Photo/Steven Senne, File)
A federal agency has sued the restaurant chain Chipotle, accusing it of religious harassment and retaliation after a manager at a Kansas location forcibly removed an employee's hijab, a headscarf worn by some Muslim women.
In a lawsuit filed Wednesday, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission alleged that in 2021, an assistant manager at a Chipotle in Lenexa, Kansas, repeatedly harassed the employee by asking her to show him her hair, despite her refusal. After several weeks, the harassment culminated in him grabbing and partially removing her hijab, according to the complaint.
The manager's “offensive and incessant requests” that she remove her hijab, and his attempt to physically take it off, were “unwelcome, intentional, severe, based on religion, and created a hostile working environment based on religion," the complaint alleged.
Chipotle's chief corporate affairs officer, Laurie Schalow, said the company encourages employees to report concerns, including through an anonymous hotline.
"We have a zero tolerance policy for discrimination of any kind and we have terminated the employee in question,” she said in an emailed statement.
The harassment began in July 2021, when the manager began asking the employee, who was 19 at the time, to remove her hijab because he wanted to see her hair. According to the complaint, he demanded to see her hair at least 10 times over the course of one month. She refused on every occasion, saying she wore it because of her religious beliefs.
The employee complained to another supervisor that the incidents made her uncomfortable, but no further action was taken against the manager, the complaint said. One night during closing in August 2021, the manager allegedly reached out and pulled her hijab partially off her head.
The following day, the employee gave her two weeks' notice. Chipotle didn't schedule her for any shifts during those two weeks even though other non-Muslim employees who submitted their notice continued to be scheduled for work during that time, the complaint alleged.
The lawsuit claims that Chipotle violated federal civil rights law protecting employees and job applicants from discrimination based on religion, race, ethnicity, sex and national origin.
In its suit, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said it wants Chipotle to institute policies that provide equal employment opportunities for employees of all religions and pay damages to the employee.
‘This Is Trump Country’: Black Former Employee at Florida Waste Management Company Alleges Co-Workers Taunted Him with Stuffed Monkey, Used Racial Slur
A federal agency has sued the restaurant chain Chipotle, accusing it of religious harassment and retaliation after a manager at a Kansas location forcibly removed an employee's hijab, a headscarf worn by some Muslim women.
In a lawsuit filed Wednesday, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission alleged that in 2021, an assistant manager at a Chipotle in Lenexa, Kansas, repeatedly harassed the employee by asking her to show him her hair, despite her refusal. After several weeks, the harassment culminated in him grabbing and partially removing her hijab, according to the complaint.
The manager's “offensive and incessant requests” that she remove her hijab, and his attempt to physically take it off, were “unwelcome, intentional, severe, based on religion, and created a hostile working environment based on religion," the complaint alleged.
Chipotle's chief corporate affairs officer, Laurie Schalow, said the company encourages employees to report concerns, including through an anonymous hotline.
"We have a zero tolerance policy for discrimination of any kind and we have terminated the employee in question,” she said in an emailed statement.
The harassment began in July 2021, when the manager began asking the employee, who was 19 at the time, to remove her hijab because he wanted to see her hair. According to the complaint, he demanded to see her hair at least 10 times over the course of one month. She refused on every occasion, saying she wore it because of her religious beliefs.
The employee complained to another supervisor that the incidents made her uncomfortable, but no further action was taken against the manager, the complaint said. One night during closing in August 2021, the manager allegedly reached out and pulled her hijab partially off her head.
The following day, the employee gave her two weeks' notice. Chipotle didn't schedule her for any shifts during those two weeks even though other non-Muslim employees who submitted their notice continued to be scheduled for work during that time, the complaint alleged.
The lawsuit claims that Chipotle violated federal civil rights law protecting employees and job applicants from discrimination based on religion, race, ethnicity, sex and national origin.
In its suit, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said it wants Chipotle to institute policies that provide equal employment opportunities for employees of all religions and pay damages to the employee.
‘This Is Trump Country’: Black Former Employee at Florida Waste Management Company Alleges Co-Workers Taunted Him with Stuffed Monkey, Used Racial Slur
Taylor Ardrey
Fri, September 29, 2023
The US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission sued a waste management company after Black and Haitian American employees alleged they were subjected to a hostile work environment.
The EEOC filed the lawsuit on behalf of the employees of Waste Pro of Florida. It was filed on Tuesday, Sept. 26.
EEOC filed a lawsuit against Water Pro of Florid after Black employees alleged that they were exposed to a hostile work environment discrimination. (EEOC Lawsuit)
Fednol Pierre, who served as a welder and worked at the Jacksonville location, said he was continuously harassed by his colleagues, according to the lawsuit. His co-worker, identified as William Watts, allegedly called him the N-word, said to go back to Haiti, adding that “there is no need for you here.” He was also told to “go back on the banana boat” and “this is Trump country,” according to the claim obtained by Atlanta Black Star.
Pierre expressed his concerns to his supervisor, but the lawsuit alleged no disciplinary action was taken. In March 2022, less than a year after working at the location, he was approached by a supervisor who told him Watts and another co-worker named Mr. Shuman used racially offensive language when talking about him. He reported the harassment again, which was sent through human resources and prompted an investigation.
Pierre continued to report his experience and expressed that he feared retaliation from his co-workers amid the probe into his claims. The lawsuit stated that when the company didn’t take action, he requested to work at a later time. However, he “still had to work with Mr. Watts and Mr. Shuman for an hour each day.”
According to court records, he also requested that it is not disclosed that he reported the racial discrimination claims, but Watts was informed anyway by regional HRM Risner. Risner also announced that there would be a staff meeting to address Pierre’s concerns after the investigation was concluded.
“Before the staff meeting, [Pierre] and another Black employee discovered a stuffed monkey carrying an American flag in Mr. Pierre’s work area. Mr. Pierre immediately reported the monkey incident to management and demanded the stuffed monkey be removed and that management review video footage and conduct an investigation into the matter; however, no corrective action was taken before the staff meeting,” the filing said.
The harassment from Watts and Shuman continued, the lawsuit alleged. Pierre felt like he was slighted, ignored, and given the most challenging tasks. He decided to quit about two weeks later.
The lawsuit is seeking, in part, punitive damages for Black and Haitian American employees due to the “malicious and reckless conduct” of the company.
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