Even when a company has been sued by several employees over a span of years, sometimes the company just doesn’t seem to get the clue that they need to change the way they treat employees. This may be the case with New York-based electronics retailer B&H. After facing a lawsuit from a group of Hispanic workers back in 2007, a lawsuit from a group of female workers in 2009 and a third lawsuit from two Latino workers in 2011, the company is now facing a lawsuit from the Department of Labor.
The lawsuit presents a number of disturbing claims. According to the documentation, the company allegedly forces its Hispanic warehouse employees to use a separate dirty bathroom. Employees also used racist remarks and degrading comments while at work in the Navy Yard warehouse. On top of that, women did not have a specific changing room. Furthermore, white employees allegedly got paid more and got more promotions, and applicants who were female, Asian or black were not being considered for entry-level jobs.
It’s extremely discouraging to hear that employees are being treated this way. If the company loses its case, they may have to forfeit some $46 million in federal contracts and any future government contracts.
On top of these lawsuits, the company has also been fined by OSHA for having hazardous work conditions and its workers voted to join the United Steelworkers after reports that the company’s warehouses had emergency exit doors that were locked and had dust that caused rashes and nosebleeds.
