The 3M corporation is being sued by four former employees claiming they were racially discriminated against or retaliated against at the company’s manufacturing plant in Aberdeen, South Dakota, and now a petition has been created on Change.org to rally support for the group’s effort to hold the company accountable for its alleged discriminatory practices.
John Wingo, Desiree Holler, Titus Kargbo and Vaughn Wingo allege in separate claims they were retaliated against after making complaints about their co-workers’ and supervisors’ discriminatory conduct at the plant.
A lawsuit filed in July 2022 by John Wingo also claims he was wrongfully terminated on Oct. 18, 2021, “due to his race, disability, and also in retaliation” for his reporting the discriminatory conduct he was subjected to at the plant.
Wingo’s lawsuit claims that the company violated the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Americans with Disabilities Act by firing him. The lawsuit also noted that despite Wingo training new employees, he was often passed over for promotions in favor of at least three newer employees as the company “deliberately” prolonged the deadline for the certification process needed to pursue promotions Wingo “was trying to achieve, rendering his efforts useless.”
“Between January 2020 and January 2021, multiple coworkers who joined his department received certification while John Wingo was refused.”
Wingo also alleged that he was called the N-word and told he looked and moved like a “monkey” by a coworker. After reporting the racial slurs to a supervisor, he returned to work only for the co-worker to repeatedly poke him in his chest.
Wingo and his younger brother Vaughn were also subjected to their co-workers laughing as they pointed out a noose hanging from an entrance at the Centennial Village while attending the Brown County Fair in August 2019, the claim states. The co-workers mocked hanging themselves with hand gestures as they told the Wingos that they wanted to bring back the good old days and said, “How does it feel to be you?”
The elder Wingo recorded the exchange on video, and when he returned to work, he tried to show it to a superior supervisor, Dave Rook. However, Rook declined to watch the video because it happened outside of the workplace, despite Wingo saying that he feared for his safety.
On April 17, 2021, the elder Wingo claims he was physically assaulted by co-workers Kue Moo and Yanai Soe at his home, and he filed a police report with the Aberdeen Police Department. Three days later, Moo and Soe approached Wingo while he was working alongside Desiree Holler on a machine in the back of the plant in an isolated area and made Wingo fear for his life after they threatened him and called him racial slurs, the claim says.
Holler claims she witnessed the harassment.
After Wingo complained, he was told that the discrimination would be dealt with. However, the following day, Moo approached Wingo in the breakroom at work and said, “This n—r is a b—h.”
He was told by management after he lodged another complaint, “He’s not calling you that every night at work…I know he’s done it in the past.”
In 2018, Vaughn Wingo was told by a 3M supervisor that management would not make him a permanent employee because he was Black, he claims.
“This is not my circus, but you are my monkey, and I’m not going to hire you,” Vaughn Wingo alleges he was told.
After he supported his brother and notified management about the racial slurs and harassment, he was “ghosted” by the company, who never gave him any more shifts, he claims.
The Star Tribune reports that the supervisors are accused of ignoring the threats and harassment while focusing on Wingo’s job performance. After injuring his shoulder on the job in February, he continued to show up for work but was sent home rather than given lighter duties. He was terminated several months later.
Kargbo quit in August 2021 after being retaliated against for supporting Wingo, he claims. Holler was also harassed for providing a statement supporting Wingo and reprimanded for being one minute late after returning from a break.
“Instead of dealing with the harassing and threatening conduct, 3M supervisors retaliated against Wingo for bringing these issues to their attention,” states the lawsuit. “The supervisors did not fix the racial harassing issues, and instead focused their attention on Wingo, making work even harder for him.”
The company, for its part, claims John Wingo had personal disputes with Moo and Soe, and management responded appropriately to ensure a safe workspace for all.
“John Wingo’s allegations involved two individuals with whom he had a personal financial dispute arising outside of work. These individuals had competing allegations and accused John Wingo of harassment,” the company said in a statement to the Star Tribune. “3M has investigated the allegations brought by all of these individuals, including the plaintiffs and others, and continuously works to promote safe and respectful workplaces at all of our sites, including our site in Aberdeen.”
The latest developments in the case came last week when a judge denied many requests by the plaintiffs to change their deposition testimony, the Star Tribune reports.
The lawsuits are asking for compensatory damages, including for emotional distress, lost wages, attorney’s fees and “other relief as the court deems just and equitable.”
