3 Workers Harassed for Being Pentecostal and Puerto Rican, Then Fired for Complaining

Three men have filed a lawsuit against Service Caster Corporation, saying they were harassed for their Pentecostal religion and Puerto Rican ethnicity and then fired when they complained.

According to the lawsuit filed in mid-October, a supervisor at Pennsylvania-based Service Caster—one of the largest caster and wheel companies in North America—allegedly made derogatory remarks toward two assemblers and one assembly line supervisor, creating a hostile work environment for them.

The plant manager allegedly called their Pentecostal faith a “cult.” The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission reports that the disparaging remarks continued even after the three men complained about the manager’s behavior.

In response to the complaints, the plant manager allegedly retaliated, reducing the three men’s hours, assignments and responsibilities; denying their requests for overtime; and eventually firing them.

“Managers should be role models, not harassers,” says EEOC Philadelphia District Director Jamie R. Williamson. “Employers have a responsibility to maintain an environment free of national origin or religious harassment and retaliation.”