Pierce County has agreed to pay more than $1 million to six current or former employees who alleged the county condoned a culture of racism inside the Facilities Management Department, court records show.
The workers sued the county in January, accusing department managers of failing to address open and commonplace hostility toward minorities. The lawsuit claimed that the plaintiffs had been subjected to racial slurs, compared to animals and faced other race-related harassment.
Earlier this month, the county settled the litigation in Pierce County Superior Court prior to trial by agreeing to pay $1.05 million combined to the plaintiffs, according to an amended judgment on Nov. 14.
"Hopefully, this is the first step toward the county making changes," attorney Hollie Connelly, who represented the plaintiffs, said in an interview Monday.
Pierce County Prosecuting Attorney's Office spokesperson Adam Faber declined to comment.
The county denied all allegations in a February filing in court. In settling the case, the county didn't admit liability but made the offer to the plaintiffs so each party could avoid spending more money on litigation, court records show.
A tort claim preceding the suit described the hostilities purportedly experienced by the plaintiffs, who collectively had more than 80 years of experience working in the county's Facilities Management Department. The department, budgeted for roughly 80 positions, maintains broad responsibilities, including maintaining county-owned facilities, overseeing real estate purchases and managing new construction.
An Asian-American employee, in front of supervisors, allegedly had his stomach rubbed without consent and was asked if he was eating dogs for lunch, the tort claim said. A Black worker was purportedly denied requests for proper footwear and gloves to shovel snow, even though white employees were given a boot allowance.
Complaints about such discrimination were ignored or met with retaliation from the county, according to the lawsuit. Employees had their roles and responsibilities changed, concerns made up about them and were publicly disparaged and subjected to attempts to oust them from their jobs, the suit said.
One worker was fired following an allegedly biased investigation into sexual-harassment claims against him, according to the tort claim. Another was "constructively discharged," meaning he felt forced to quit due to poor working conditions.
White employees were allegedly treated differently: Their complaints were investigated, they were routinely chosen for promotions over the plaintiffs and they were paid more, the suit said.
The lawsuit aimed to ensure minority employees in the department would be treated the same as their white colleagues, according to Connelly. She said that racist and discriminatory behavior must stop, and the county must respond to all complaints in a timely manner.
"I think it's still a little too soon to tell," she said when asked whether the changes sought had been made. "I think that with this recognition that there was harm done and this type of environment should not be condoned, (it) was positive for my clients to hear. But, unfortunately, until we still see actual changes, we won't know."
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