EEOC Investigates Racial Tension At Texas Company

At least 100 African American employees working at Tuner Industries in Paris, Texas, did so under hostile conditions, which included graffiti, nooses and symbols of hate, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has found.
The investigation is one of the largest civil rights investigations in the state’s history.
The three-page EEOC document dated March 31 is a small victory for the NAACP, civil rights leaders and attorneys of the plaintiffs, reports stated.
According to documents, the plaintiffs photographed images of swastikas, Confederate flags and nooses on welders’ helmets, cell phones and toolboxes at the company’s facility.
Turner manufactures oil pipeline products.
An attorney for the plaintiffs, Sara Kane, said some African-American employees who complained about the conditions, and white employees standing up against the racism have been terminated for doing so.
According to some of the plaintiffs, discrimination got worse when President Obama was elected.
John Fenner, corporate general counsel for Turner Industries issued a statement saying he was disappointed in what the EEOC found. Fenner said the company has a zero tolerance policy. He reported Turner Industries conducted an investigation during which they found no evidence of discrimination or retaliation.
The findings will allow the plaintiffs to file a lawsuit should they choose to.