Nineteen black workers from a United Parcel Service (UPS) distribution hub in Ohio sued the shipping service on Wednesday, alleging racism and workplace discrimination, according to the Associated Press.
In the suit filed against UPS and five managers at the facility, workers allege being subjected to racist remarks, including comments about Ku Klux Klan meetings. They also cite alleged incidents in which a noose and Confederate flags were hung in the distribution center. In addition, the workers that filed the suit allege that in addition to specific incidents, a decade-long pattern of discriminatory hiring practices and promotions favored white workers with less experience and seniority at the distribution hub located in Maumee, a southwest suburb of Toledo.
The lawsuit against UPS seeks to put a stop to the alleged discriminatory practices, as well as damages of $25,000.
UPS issued a statement to the AP on Thursday that noted the facility fired two workers after incidents in 2016 and has since worked with the Ohio Civil Rights Commission on improving monitoring and training.
The case is similar to one filed in January by black workers at a Toledo, Ohio General Motors plant who filed a lawsuit alleging similar discriminatory acts in the workplace, including nooses hung in the facility and threats that evoked the Klan.
