An amended federal lawsuit filed Monday in the U.S. District Court in Chicago is charging that the Niketown store on Chicago's Michigan Avenue discriminated against African-American employees by segregating them into stockroom jobs and denying them promotions to higher-paying sales positions. The original suit was filed in December by two former employees and has now grown to 15 plaintiffs. The court assigned the case to a former EEOC attorney after the first two claimants tried to represent themselves in the action.
They are now seeking class action status for the claim, covering up to 200 people.
The suit reportedly charges that of the 63 stockroom workers employed between January 2001 and May 2003, only three were Caucasian, while 46 were African-Americans. During that same time frame, eight of the 33 commissioned sales specialists were African-American and 23 were Caucasian. The filing claims that sales specialists could earn three to four times as much as the stockroom employees.
The plaintiffs claim that although many worked 40 hours a week, they were not considered full-time employees and were denied paid vacation and health and dental insurance. They also claim they were subject to a racially hostile work environment, including being singled out for charges of theft. The plaintiffs say they were accused repeatedly of theft, and their belongings were searched when leaving the store, while Caucasian employees were not. The lawsuit also includes allegations that African-American customers were followed around the store.
