Microsoft Corp. was hit with one of the largest discrimination suits in US history today as seven African Americans alleged racism and a "plantation mentality" at their workplace.
The plaintiffs, both current and former employees in the company's Washington, D.C., and Redmond, Wash., offices, alleged in their $5 billion suit that they were paid less than their fellow employees, repeatedly passed over for promotions given to less-qualified white workers, and subjected to harassment and retaliation when they complained. They are seeking class-action status for the case.
"They (Microsoft) have a plantation mentality when it comes to treating African American workers," said Willie Gary, the Florida lawyer who is handling the case.
Gary pointed to 1999 government statistics that showed only 2.6 per cent of Microsoft's 21,429 employees, and only 1.6 per cent of the company's 5,155 managers, were black.
Microsoft, the world's largest software company, did not immediately return calls seeking comment. A spokeswoman told Reuters yesterday that 22.2 per cent of its employees as of October 2000 were minorities.
The case is scheduled to be heard in US District Court in Washington by Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson, who ordered Microsoft to be split into two parts last spring after finding the company violated antitrust law. That decision is currently being appealed.
Reuters