Lawsuit alleges racial discrimination |
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Published
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Tue, 30 Jan 2007 21:28
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ST. LOUIS (AFX) - A company that makes frozen food home deliveries discriminated against a qualified black job applicant for a route sales job out of concerns that St. Charles County customers would be intimidated by him, a federal lawsuit has alleged.The lawsuit by the U.S. Equal Opportunity Commission also claims The Schwan Food Co. refused to hire a black job applicant for a warehouse position in O'Fallon, Mo., even though he was promised the job. The suit says a white applicant, who was no better qualified, was hired instead.The lawsuit in U.S. District Court in St. Louis was filed Monday after attempts to reach a settlement were unsuccessful, the EEOC's senior attorney, C. Felix Miller, said.EEOC learned of black job applicants Bernard Gowdy and Dean Chege in the course of investigating a similar accusation against Schwan's from a third individual. That person later decided to bring a private lawsuit, Miller said.Messages left with Schwan's legal department and two Wichita, Kan., attorneys who represented the company in settlement talks with EEOC were not returned Tuesday.The Marshall, Minn.-based company, known for its 'Inca gold' delivery trucks depicted with the image of a swan, has grown over more than 50 years from a one-man-and-truck delivery business to a 'global powerhouse in the frozen-food industry,' with 20,000 employees worldwide, the company Web site says. Its home-delivery business operates in all 50 states.The company's customer service managers 'drive the popular Schwan's trucks,' and have 'one-on-one interaction with customers,' the Web site says.St. Charles County is 93.5 percent white, and only 3.5 percent black, according to the most recent U.S. Census data. The city of O'Fallon is 95.3 percent white, and 2.2 percent black.The Schwan Food Co. claims it is the largest manufacturing employer in Marshall, Minn.; Salina, Kan.; Florence, Ky.; and Stilwell, Okla.Copyright 2006 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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Housing group sues Century 21 