People in New York may be interested in learning that a black employee of Facebook has filed a discrimination charge against the company with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. According to the complaint, black people are not provided with the same opportunities for advancement as white or Asian workers at the company.
The charge was filed with the EEOC on July 2. The man who filed the complaint has been employed by Facebook since 2017 as a recruiter for veterans and people of color. Two people who applied for jobs at Facebook and who were recruited by the man have joined his complaint. Neither of them were given jobs. Facebook has around 48,000 employees, and a majority of them are white or Asian. Only about 4% of the employees are black. Among executive-level positions, just 3% are held by black people.
The man alleges that Facebook has created a hostile work environment for black people and that it discriminates against black people in recruiting, hiring, pay, and promotions. The EEOC will investigate the charge to determine whether discrimination has occurred. If it finds that Facebook has engaged in racial discrimination, Facebook could settle with the claimants, or the claimants could file a lawsuit against the company in court.
Racial discrimination in the workplace is illegal under federal and state laws. People who believe that their employers have engaged in unlawful discrimination based on race may want to talk to experienced employment law and discrimination attorneys. The lawyers may assist their clients with collecting the evidence that may be needed to support their claims. If the EEOC gives the clients notices of their rights to sue, the attorneys may file formal civil complaints in court and litigate the matters on behalf of their clients.