Black workers sue General Mills over discrimination at Georgia plant By Reuters

By Jonathan Stempel

(Reuters) – Common Mills (NYSE:) has been sued by eight Black staff who accused the meals firm of tolerating a long time of racism at a suburban Atlanta plant led by white managers often known as the Good Ole Boys.

A grievance filed on Sunday stated managers on the Covington plant, which makes cereal and path combine, favor whites for promotions over extra certified Blacks, topic Blacks to harder efficiency requirements, and manufacture false proof to justify demoting Blacks.

One plaintiff, Keith McClinton, stated that after “KKK” was scrawled on his lunchbox in 2006, he was compelled to provide a handwriting pattern to point out he didn’t do it himself.

The plaintiffs additionally stated many Black staff worry complaining about discrimination as a result of managers will retaliate, and that managers co-opted racist symbols to maintain Blacks “of their place.”

They cited a mural displayed from 2005 to 2021 that echoed a memorial for Accomplice leaders on Georgia’s Stone Mountain, however with the Cocoa Puffs cuckoo chicken portraying Jefferson Davis and the Honey Nut Cheerios bee portraying Stonewall Jackson.

Common Mills didn’t instantly reply on Tuesday to requests for remark. A lawyer for the plaintiffs didn’t instantly reply to an identical request.

On its web site, Minneapolis-based Common Mills stated it prohibits discrimination, and is “devoted to turning into a mirrored image of the world we search the place racial fairness, range and inclusion nourish us all.”

Sunday’s lawsuit alleges violations of federal civil rights legislation and federal and state racketeering legal guidelines on the Covington plant, the place “total careers have been hampered by Good Ole Boys” for the reason that late Nineteen Eighties.

It seeks compensatory and punitive damages for a whole bunch of Black staff within the final 4 years who suffered antagonistic employment actions.

The case is Davis et al v. Common Mills Operations LLC, U.S. District Courtroom, Northern District of Georgia, No. 24-02409.