An employee at Boeing’s North Charleston branch in South Carolina claims coworkers urinated on his desk and hung a noose at the plant earlier this year.
Curtis Anthony alleges in a recently filed lawsuit that the company knew about “an atmosphere of racial hostility and harassment toward African Americans,” The State reported Friday.
Anthony, who has worked at the plant for eight years, was assigned to his current unit in 2017. A federal lawsuit filed last week says Anthony, who is black, complained several times about racism in the unit, according to The State.
{mosads}The employee claims white coworkers urinated on his desk and in his seat “numerous times” and says they used a racial slur on a daily basis. But when he complained, he says he got transferred to a different unit — one that didn’t have air conditioning.
The lawsuit also says Anthony found a noose hanging above his desk, The State reported. Boeing reportedly said it fired the employee who hung the noose, but the racist environment at the plant led to Anthony taking medical leave twice.
In a statement reported by local media outlets, Boeing said “while Mr. Anthony is a valued Boeing South Carolina teammate, there is no validity to his allegations.”
“Most of Mr. Anthony’s allegations were never brought to the attention of management, giving the company no opportunity to investigate these claims,” Boeing said. “The single issue he did raise was dealt with promptly and in a fair manner.”
Anthony is still employed with Boeing but is reportedly on family medical leave.