(The Hill.com) The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is suing ExxonMobil over racial discrimination after multiple nooses were found at one of the company’s facilities.
The EEOC said in a release on Friday that ExxonMobil violated federal law in not taking “effective measures” to prevent hangman’s nooses from being displayed at its facility in Baton Rouge, La.
The lawsuit, which was filed Thursday, states that a Black employee at the chemical plant found a noose while working in January 2020 and reported it to the company. ExxonMobil was allegedly already aware of three other nooses that had been found at the Baton Rouge facility.
But the EEOC argues in its complaint that the company only investigated some of the incidents and did not take steps to stop the “harassment” from the nooses, allowing for a “racially hostile” environment for its employees. A fifth noose was reported to the company in December 2020, according to the release.
“When employers become aware of racially offensive or threatening conduct in the workplace, they have a legal obligation to take prompt, remedial action aimed at stopping it,” Rudy Sustaita, the regional attorney for the EEOC’s Houston District Office, said in the release.
The EEOC alleges ExxonMobil violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which bans discrimination based on race in the workplace.
“A noose is a longstanding symbol of violence associated with the lynching of African Americans,” said Elizabeth Owen, a senior trial attorney for the EEOC’s New Orleans Field Office. “Such symbols are inherently threatening and significantly alter the workplace environment for Black Americans.”
The release states the agency filed the lawsuit after failing to reach a settlement with the company.
ExxonMobil told The Hill in a statement that it disagrees with the EEOC’s allegations and findings, arguing that it encourages employees to report these types of claims and “thoroughly” investigated the allegations.
“The symbols of hate are unacceptable, offensive, and in violation of our corporate policies,” the company said. “We have a zero tolerance policy of any form of harassment or discrimination in the workplace by or towards employees, contractors, suppliers or customers.”
