Former Employee Sues Department of Transportation for Racial Discrimination

If you have ever safely arrived home after traveling on a California road, it is because employees of the Department of Transportation have maintained it in safe condition.  Rain, snow, wildfires, earthquakes, and high winds are no match for the courage and perseverance of Caltrans employees.  One would expect that such dangerous work, intended for the public good, would take place in an environment where workers look out for each other’s safety.  Unfortunately, some Caltrans employees experience no such camaraderie; rather, they experience bullying, and when they complain, work supervisors go out of their way to put them in harm’s way.  A Hispanic man who worked for Caltrans until 2023 has filed a lawsuit alleging that White coworkers harassed him constantly, and when he complained, his employer retaliated against him by assigning him to increasingly dangerous tasks.  If your employer put your safety at risk in retaliation for your complaints about discrimination, contact a Los Angeles discrimination and harassment lawyer.

Employer Placed Plaintiff in Life-Threatening Situations in Response to His Complaints About Coworkers’ Behavior

Earlier this year, California courts received a lawsuit filed by a plaintiff described in the complaint as a “Hispanic Mexican male.”  He began working for the California Department of Transportation in 2021, and his job was road maintenance.  Almost immediately, his White supervisor began harassing him, and he quickly found out that other Hispanic employees received similar treatment.  The first time he complained about the supervisor, the human resources employee told him not to expect any actions to be taken based on his complaint.  Despite this, he complained again after he asked his supervisor for a gas card to fill up a work vehicle at a gas station, and instead of a gas card, the supervisor handed him a “White privilege” card that some of the White employees carried as a joke.

After the second complaint, the employer began to retaliate against the plaintiff by assigning him the most dangerous tasks.  One day, the plaintiff had to place white and yellow reflectors on the road in 90-degree heat until he became ill.  The final straw was when the employer tasked the plaintiff with sitting in the traffic-facing bucket of a truck to place traffic cones on the road in order to block off lanes of traffic for maintenance; he did this during a time of heavy traffic, with cars passing close to him at high speed.  At one time, a car passed so close to him that it knocked a traffic cone out of his hand.  After that, the plaintiff took a leave of absence, during which time the employer terminated his employment.  While he was on leave, other employees contacted him to say that they had experienced similar treatment.

Speak With a Los Angeles Employment Discrimination Lawyer

A Los Angeles employment discrimination and retaliation lawyer can help you if your employer retaliated against you by assigning you dangerous or unpleasant tasks after you complained.  Contact Litigation, P.C. in Redondo Beach, California to discuss your situation or call (424) 284-2401.

Sources:

10news.com/news/local-news/former-san-diego-caltrans-employee-sues-agency-over-alleged-racist-hostile-work-environment

ewscripps.brightspotcdn.com/05/d6/9b32bfd8416899cad809ee7b938f/caltrans-complaint.pdf