Black workers sue General Mills for alleged racial discrimination at Georgia factory

Cereal giant General Mills is facing a federal lawsuit filed by several of its Black employees who claim one of the company's Georgia plants “adopted a racist and hostile work environment” controlled by “white supremacists.” .

In a 60-page federal lawsuit filed earlier this month, plaintiffs allege that managers at the Covington, Ga., plant favor white employees for promotions over black employees — because they allege more disciplinary action was taken against black employees.

Additionally, the plaintiffs allege that the plant is run by a group of “white male supremacists operating in management and human resources,” as they claim the crews formed a group called “Good Ole Boys,” according to the lawsuit .

“The 'Good Ole Boys' believe that history and symbols that have been co-opted or misused by the Ku Klux Klan and other white supremacist hate groups are useful in keeping black people 'in their place' and discouraging black people from speak or take the floor. action against the disparate treatment of black employees at the Covington facility,” the lawsuit states.

The plaintiffs claim that since the plant opened in 1988, several systems have been put in place that have benefited white employees more than black employees – as they claim the incidents listed in the lawsuit span more than of two decades.

In one incident, employees say a mural was displayed at the factory from 2005 to 2021 in memory of Confederate leaders, featuring mascots from General Mills brands, such as the Cocoa Puffs cuckoo clock depicting Jefferson Davis, the President of the Confederacy, and Cinnamon Toast Crunch Chief Wendell as Robert E. Lee, according to the lawsuit.

In another incident, a black employee claims that in 2006 he found the letters “KKK” written on his personal lunch box. When the employee reported this incident to management, managers asked the employee to provide a handwriting sample to determine that he was not the one who wrote the letters, the suit states.

The lawsuit also mentions a 1993 incident in which a noose was left on a black employee's desk. This same employee, a year later, claims that a white employee told him to “go back to Africa.”

The plaintiffs claim that “egregious incidents of racism” have been ignored by HR, both locally and at the corporate level, for 20 years, according to the lawsuit. The eight plaintiffs are seeking a jury trial, financial losses and compensatory damages.

In a statement to NPR, a General Mills spokesperson said the company does not comment on pending litigation, saying the cereal maker has a “long-standing and ongoing commitment to diversity, 'equity and inclusion'.

The spokesperson added that the company does not “tolerate discrimination of any kind.”

Recent cases of alleged racial discrimination in the workplace have made headlines, leading employees to file lawsuits against their employers.

In 2023, several employees of the salad chain Sweetgreen filed a lawsuit in a New York court, accusing the chain of “fostering a hostile workplace” in several of its New York City stores. A spokesperson told The Washington Post that the company is “committed to diversity.” as well as a safe and inclusive workplace,” adding that the company is unable to comment on ongoing legal matters.

In 2021, a federal jury in San Francisco ordered Tesla to pay $137 million to a former Black contractor over allegations that he faced racial discrimination while working for the company.

Owen Diaz, who worked as a contract elevator operator from 2015 to 2016 in Fremont, California, said he and other black employees were called the N-word by several Tesla employees and told had been told to “go back to Africa” in addition to employees drawing racist and derogatory pictures that were left around the factory.

The jury award in Diaz's case included $130 million in punitive damages and $6.9 million in emotional damages.

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