Large corporations from overseas may find it difficult to adapt to American customs and labor regulations. However, despite any cultural differences between a foreign company and American employees, workforce laws can’t be overlooked or disregarded. One car company, Kia Motors Manufacturing is currently the subject of an employment discrimination lawsuit launched by two different workers. Anyone in Colorado who feels they have been discriminated against may want to follow the case.
A woman who was a manager in her department filed suit based on alleged incidents at a plant. She claims she was told to adhere to Korean customs and not speak in meetings because she was a woman. Allegedly, she was also told to recruit younger employees to hire. She also claims she knew of a female security guard who was fired for not being considered pretty and other females who were treated poorly for being pregnant.
The other party who has filed suit against Kia claims that he was told to monitor the number of African American workers who were hired. Moreover, he alleges that a Kia executive told him that the company didn’t want to hire people over 50 years old for a certain position. Kia has said it will not comment about any pending litigation in regard to the accusations by the two plaintiffs.
While employment discrimination can be difficult to prove, it is far from impossible and should be pursued if it has occurred. There are very clear employment discrimination laws in Colorado and at the federal level. Any action successfully documented against an employer may result in an employee getting their job back, receiving back pay and/or other monetary damages.
Source: times-herald.com, “Former Kia employees file lawsuits“, Sarah Fay Campbell, July 25, 2014