A former Black employee for United Airlines at its Denver International Airport hub alleges in a new lawsuit that numerous cases of racism and harassment in the workplace were covered up and never addressed.
Amir Brown, 31, recalled one such incident when a white supervisor known as “Fast Eddie” ordered another Black worker to “go fetch” a noose. “Fast Eddie” was eventually fired, the lawsuit obtained by Atlanta Black Star states, but there was no investigation into the use of the racist trope, or of another employee who was terminated after yelling the N-word in the terminal break room.
In his complaint, Brown said that it was typical of how problems were handled by United. Brown is not the first nonwhite employee to report discriminatory behavior at the airline’s Denver hub. In January, a Mongolian-born employee received $99,000 after he endured constant racial slurs and was physically assaulted on the job.
Brown said those who spoke out about incidents of bias were fired. He lost his job in November 2023 after the workplace environment became increasingly “hostile and retaliatory.”
“When Mr. Brown reported his discriminatory treatment, he was retaliated against
by his Supervisors, who escalated their efforts to discipline him for behaviors that non-Black employees were allowed to engage in and set him up for termination by denying him sick leave he should have been entitled to and failing to notify him about attendance discrepancies,” the suit states.
Brown alleges he was subjected to ongoing bigotry during his last two years with United by white coworkers who conspired to get him fired.
The harassment was “frequent and notorious in nature,” the complaint states. Brown, part of the “Aircraft Move Team” that repositioned aircraft around the Denver tarmac, claims his colleagues wouldn’t even acknowledge him or say hello. White members of the team “refused to partner with (him) on assignments” — a potential safety hazard.
Brown, one of two people of color on the team, said his supervisors were aware of his “segregation” and “exclusion” but did nothing to remedy it.
United “failed to take prompt or effective action to prevent, correct, or remedy the work environment that was hostile for Mr. Brown,” the suit continues, and for other non-white employees.
Genevieve Mesch, one of Brown’s attorneys, said Monday the airline “turn(ed) a blind eye to anti-Black racism.”
“Black employees also face harsher discipline than their non-Black counterparts,” she told The Independent. “Despite United being made aware of these incidents, the company has not implemented effective measures to address the culture of discrimination. This case represents one of several similar complaints filed by Denver-based United employees, showing a broader pattern of unaddressed racial discrimination.”
United would not address the specifics in Brown’s lawsuit, citing the ongoing nature of the case, but insisted it “fosters an environment of inclusion and does not tolerate discrimination of any kind.”
“We remain committed to protecting individuals who raise workplace concerns in good faith,” the missive concluded.
Brown began working for United in March 2017, was promoted twice and, according to his suit, was consistently recognized for performance. He said he worked between 70 and 100 hours a week.
Soon after transferring from Newark to Denver, Brown noted a “work environment and culture that enabled racism towards Black employees,” the complaint alleges.
He tells of an incident in 2022, when he requested parental leave to help care for his newborn daughter. He was told by management that “only mothers or management were eligible for bonding time. If he wanted time off, he’d have to use his 12 days of unpaid leave or one of his sick days.
That was not the case for a white male co-worker, not in management, who had been approved for paid leave after his daughter was born, the suit alleges
Such discriminatory treatment only got worse when he was promoted to the Aircraft Move Team in January 2023, where he was just one of two people of color, the suit claims.
A group of white coworkers began making false claims about Brown’s performance, alleging he used his cellphone while on the clock, according to the complaint.
Brown felt increasingly isolated and distressed, and believed his colleagues were trying to make working conditions so bad that he would quit. He started spending his break time in the locker room, the suit explains, but a white employee told management he was “uncomfortable” with having a Black man sit near his locker, “not just having an employee near their locker.”
From there, Brown found himself targeted by white colleagues in various other ways, being berated and sworn at on the airfield, getting criticized on the radio, and being set up to fail by way of bogus violations for minuscule offenses — such as not being in the break room when a supervisor went looking for him — that did not result in any penalties for non-Black workers who committed similar infractions, the complaint alleges.
As the racist incidents piled up, Brown faithfully reported them to management but received only inaction. The airline then warned Brown he was in danger of being fired, then “manufactured additional attendance violations in order to justify Mr. Brown’s termination,” the complaint states.
“As a result of his termination, Mr. Brown suffered and continues to suffer substantial injuries and damages, including lost wages and emotional distress and mental anguish,” his suit concludes.
Brown seeks economic damages, compensatory damages, and punitive damages for “intentional discrimination… done with malice or reckless indifference to (his) federally protected rights,” along with attorney’s fees and court costs.
