DALLAS, April 14 (UPI) -- A federal commission has ruled at least 100 African-Americans were subjected to a hostile work environment at Turner Industries in Paris, Texas.
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said in its March 31 findings the black workers at the oil pipeline products manufacturer were exposed to racial graffiti, nooses and symbols of hate, WFAA-TV, Dallas/Fort Worth, reported.
"You have African-Americans who've complained, who have been terminated, and you have whites who have stood up for the African-Americans who have been terminated," plaintiffs' attorney Sara Kane said at a news conference Wednesday outside the federal courthouse in Dallas where plaintiffs, their lawyers, the NAACP and local civil rights leaders applauded the commission's findings.
Another lawyer for the plaintiffs, Jay Ellwanger, said the workers' plight worsened after Barack Obama was elected the nation's first black president in 2008.
"As a result, you started to see more graffiti singling out Obama; you had threats made against the president that the Secret Service investigated; it became a very hostile environment to work in," Ellwanger said.
Turner Industries attorney John Fenner said in a statement issued to WFAA-TV the company has "zero tolerance for any behavior in the workplace that disparages any employee."
He said Turner's investigation "revealed that no worker was subject to discrimination nor retaliation."
Fenner said while Turner Industries is disappointed with the EEOC findings, it intends to address the government's concerns.
