After allegations of racist behavior, Whites Bakery in Brockton had to pay $ 95,000, conduct anti-bias and anti-discrimination training

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In a settlement with Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healeys, a Brockton bakery is ordered to pay up to $ 95,000 in penalties and restitution and is required to conduct anti-bias training and to revise anti-discrimination policies after allegations that an employee has been repeatedly exposed to insults.

The settlement, filed in Plymouth Superior Court, resolves a lawsuit over allegations that Whites Bakery violated anti-discrimination laws by creating a hostile work environment. Allegations claim that a supervisor who has worked with the store for a long time used racial epithets and slurs in front of junior employees, including the victim, according to a press release from the AG.

The victims, repeatedly exposed to racist language at work, caused him serious emotional harm and ultimately forced him to quit his job, according to the complaint.

Workers should be able to do their jobs in a safe environment free from harassment, Healey said. Employers need to make sure they have the right training, the right policies, and the right accountability to make sure that things like this don’t happen in the workplace.

During the four months that the victim worked at Whites Bakery in 2018, he was regularly subjected to hate language from his supervisor, including the use of variations of the N word. The victim is of racial origin mixed, according to the press release. The office further claims that the bakery management was aware of the supervisors’ behavior and took no action to correct it.

Discrimination anywhere should not be tolerated, said Phyllis Ellis, president of the Brockton regional branch of the NAACP. Whites Bakery and its management have been held responsible for creating an unacceptable and racist work environment. I was hoping this lawsuit would bring about a change in Whites Bakery policy, and I believe it does.

Massachusetts Anti-Discrimination Act, MGL v. 151B, prohibits harassment, reprisals and other forms of discrimination in the workplace based on race, color, religious beliefs, national origin, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation , disability, genetic information or ancestry, the statement said.

Under the settlement, Whites Bakery will pay the victim $ 65,000 and up to $ 30,000 to the Commonwealth, of which $ 15,000 will be suspended pending compliance with the agreement.

In addition, the bakery needs to hire an outside consultant to review its policies and procedures, training programs, and culture and climate. All Whites Bakery employees will be required to complete annual anti-bias, discrimination and harassment training for three years, and its management will undergo enhanced annual training on unconscious bias for three years, the statement said.

The bakery must also review its policies against discrimination, harassment and equal opportunities in employment. The former supervisor, although no longer employed at Whites Bakery, will also need to undergo anti-bias training.

The Attorney General’s Civil Rights Division encourages residents and employees of Massachusetts who have experienced discrimination and hateful acts in the workplace to call (617) 963-2917 or file a complaint online at the ‘address www.mass.gov/ago/civilrightscomplaint.

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