A 28-year-old Kentfield man, who was hired on to work in maintenance for the Marin Housing Authority last February, filed a discrimination lawsuit with the U.S. District Court in San Francisco on Jan. 30, 2019.
In his filing against both his former employer and supervisor, the plaintiff chronicles how he was hired for the job by the Robert Half staffing agency and the discrimination he suffered.
The man reportedly had only been working two weeks at the Golden Gate Village public housing facility when residents there started making derogatory comments about his Latino ancestry. Soon thereafter, he alleges that a supervisor also told him that non-English speakers should either learn the language or leave the country after the employee served as a translator between an exterminator and the supervisor.
In another discriminatory incident referenced in the filing, the fired worker chronicled how his co-workers made derogatory comments about immigrants, Latinos and gays around him because they perceived him to be all of these.
Also in his filing, the man outlines how he reported the discrimination to a supervisor, yet how she didn’t take any steps to address it. She instead called Robert Half to have his employment contract ended. The supervisor denies that this occurred.
In his filing, the plaintiff notes that all workers should feel comfortable going to their bosses about discrimination that they’ve endured on the job. He also says that they should feel confident in knowing that they’ll investigate the claims and take necessary action to stop any harassment that’s occurring to make it safe for everyone who works there. This obviously isn’t how this plaintiff’s supervisors handled his case.
The plaintiff is seeking unspecified damages for having been forced to work in a hostile environment, retaliated against, conspired against and wrongfully discharged. He also is seeking damages for the emotional distress that he has endured.
Most California workers are considered to be “employees at will,” which means that they can be fired from their jobs for any reason. However, this doesn’t allow an employer to let an employee go simply because they belong to a certain racial group, nor due to their sexual orientation or status as an immigrant.
Employees who suspect that they’ve been fired solely for a discriminatory reason should consult with a San Francisco wrongful termination attorney to find out whether they can file suit for the discrimination that they endured.