Kevin Barlow
The Pantagraph
For more than three years, management of the Bloomington-Normal Marriott Hotel and Conference Center failed to stop a pattern of offensive racial comments and conduct directed toward at least one African-American employee, according to a lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
The EEOC's preliminary investigation found an unnamed employee at the uptown hotel was subjected to repeated racial slurs, remarks about slavery and other offensive behavior, said Julianne Bowman, the EEOC’s district director in Chicago.
“One black employee was told, ‘Thank you for your contribution to America for picking all that cotton,’” Bowman said.
Hotel officials declined comment and referred inquiries to its corporate headquarters in Springfield, Mo.
“As a leader in the hospitality industry for decades, we stand behind our stellar record of employing thousands of individuals nationwide in a safe, fair and non-discriminatory environment,” Sheri Smith, a spokeswoman for John Q. Hammons Hotels & Resort, said in a statement. “We have proven protocols in place company-wide to help ensure successful adherence to EEOC employment policies and practices.”
The lawsuit, filed recently in U.S. District Court in Peoria, alleges the company knew the racial harassment occurred ,beginning in September 2012, and continuing to the present, but did little or nothing to stop it.
If true, the harassment would violate Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that prohibits workplace discrimination on the basis of race.
The lawsuit asks for compensation for emotional pain, humiliation and inconvenience in amounts to be determined at trial. Penalties are typically determined on a case-by-case basis, and usually include fines and correction of the problem, the EEOC said.
“As soon as an employer becomes aware of any kind of discriminatory harassment in the workplace, the employer must act, and must act promptly," said John Hendrickson, EEOC’s regional attorney in Chicago. “That is the law and the EEOC will hold employers accountable if they don’t live up to that responsibility.”
Officials would not confirm if the employee was still working at the hotel or if the hotel had made any attempts to correct the situation. The hotel has about 30 employees, according to statistics provided by corporate officials.
The EEOC filed the lawsuit after first attempting to reach a settlement, according to a press release from the agency.
The $55 million, nine-story, 226-room hotel opened at 201 Broadway in October 2009.
A status hearing on the complaint is scheduled for Nov. 30.