The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights

Federal Express Employees File Discrimination Suit

Feature Story by civilrights.org staff - 12/13/2002

Twenty-six employees of Federal Express have filed a class action lawsuit against the company citing racial discrimination. The minority employees, of whom twenty are African-American, are charging that the company's discriminatory employment policy includes such acts as differential treatment, harassment, and fraud. This discrimination suit is one of the largest in United States history.

The 189-page complaint, filed on December 12, documents a series of discriminatory practices at Federal Express facilities. These practices include:

• Routinely hiring minority employees for entry-level positions with little opportunity for advancement
  
• Paying minority employees less than Caucasian employees in same positions
  
• Assigning more dangerous and difficult work conditions to minority employees
  
• Tampering with time cards and denying overtime and sick leave for minority employees

The suit also charges that the company intentionally inflicted emotional distress on its minority employees as well as exhibited gender-based discrimination. Attorney Waukeen Q. McCoy of the Law Office of Waukeen Q. McCoy, one of the three firms representing the plaintiffs, states that, "This class action suit sends an unequivocal message to corporate America...Discrimination in the workplace must stop, and stop now." McCoy led a major racial discrimination suit against Interstate Brands Corporation in 2000, which resulted in a 133 million dollar verdict, the largest race discrimination verdict in United States history.

Though the suit is filed of behalf of Federal Express employees in California, the plaintiffs and their counsel are investigating whether the alleged practices are occurring in other states as well. If such is the case, they will be petitioning that the suit be filed in federal court.