Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

The Independent TradersThe Independent Traders

Business

Sweetgreen managers in New York used the N-word daily, racial discrimination lawsuit says

Ten Sweetgreen employees are suing the salad chain, alleging racial discrimination at seven of its New York City restaurants.

The lawsuit, filed Thursday in New York Supreme Court in the Bronx, alleges that the plaintiffs’ co-workers and managers subjected them to daily use of the N-word and other racist comments.

The complaint also alleges that managers failed to hire or promote qualified Black employees and gave preferential treatment to Hispanic workers. The plaintiffs allege that store managers said Hispanic people work harder than African Americans and called Black employees lazy.

The plaintiffs also claim that complaints to upper management, including Sweetgreen’s human resources department, were ignored for years.

The lawsuit claims that managers sexually harassed female workers, making sexual comments and touching them inappropriately.

The plaintiffs are seeking monetary and punitive damages and payment of attorneys’ fees.

The lawsuit was originally filed in March with only two plaintiffs. Thursday’s amended complaint includes eight new plaintiffs and adds more restaurants.

The seven Manhattan locations named in the lawsuit include restaurants in the Meatpacking District, the Financial District, Greenwich Village, Midtown East, the Upper East Side and the Upper West Side.

Companies are liable for their managers’ discriminatory conduct under New York City law. Sweetgreen did not immediately respond to a request for comment from CNBC.

The lawsuit also names two of Sweetgreen’s “head coaches,” or general managers, as defendants.

More from CNBC:

Former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz steps down from coffee chain’s boardMcDonald’s to start focus groups with owners as part of civil rights auditWalmart cuts starting pay for new hires who prepare online orders, stock shelves

This post appeared first on NBC NEWS

You May Also Like

Tech News

Unity Earlier this week, Unity, the company that makes the Unity video game engine popular with indie developers, announced that it was changing its...

Tech News

Illustration: The Verge X CEO Linda Yaccarino announced a series of changes to her executive team, including a shakeup to the company’s sales organization...

Tech News

Image: Brazil Climate Summit At the moment I arrived at the Brazil Climate Summit event, it felt like home to me. As I opened...

Tech News

The Logitech G Pro X Superlight 2 mouse. | Photo by Sean Hollister / The Verge I called it the real magic mouse, but...