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Woman alleges racially motivated termination against union

On Behalf of | Nov 15, 2016 | Workplace Discrimination |

Many of us would prefer to believe that discrimination in the workplace is a thing of the past, especially discrimination on such blatant grounds as race. Unfortunately, this dinosaur from a different era continues to find its way into our workplaces with frustrating frequency, no matter how out of place it may seem. Whenever there is an experience of racial discrimination, it should always be reported, but that is not always enough. Sometimes it is also necessary for the sake of justice and peace of mind to enlist the representation of a qualified attorney who is experienced in bringing down these workplace dinosaurs.

Recently, an African American woman in Trenton filed a suit against her former union employer, claiming that she faced racial discrimination on the job which ultimately led to a wrongful termination. The woman, who had served as an executive assistant a New Jersey State Policemen’s Benevolent Association chapter, alleges that racial attitudes within the union changed from the top down after leadership of the organization underwent a changing of the guard — a move that was seen as many to be fraudulently achieved with ballot tampering.

Whereas the previous leadership had been predominantly African-American, leadership following the election shifted to predominantly white. While this is not of concern in and of itself, the woman alleges that she obtained text transcripts between the new leadership that referred to her and other employees as “darkies” and “N-word.” In a particularly troubling exchange, the transcripts read “Are any of them darkies any good?; That black girl gotta go too,” which the woman believes to refer to her, as the only African-American woman in that workplace.

Upon her termination, which she claims was retaliatory, the woman also claims that she was not given early termination compensation in keeping with her employment contract.

It is hard to think that this kind of behavior still exists and roams around in our communities and workplaces. If you have been the victim of workplace discrimination, no matter what the basis, you deserve to fight for fair treatment. With the help of an experienced attorney, you can help create a safe and just workplace not only for yourself but for everyone.

Source: The Trentonian, “African-American Trenton woman files racial discrimination lawsuit against PBA Local 105,” Sulaiman Abdur-Rahman,, Nov. 02, 2016