Saturn Workers Win Lawsuit

General Motors Corp.’s Saturn Corp. discriminated against injured workers by forcing them to rotate through different jobs, a federal jury ruled Friday in a decision that could force revisions in the car maker’s innovative labor policies.

More than 50 current or former employees with work-related injuries had sued Saturn, claiming its policy of making them rotate jobs like other workers violated the Americans With Disabilities Act. A U.S. District Court jury in Columbia, Tenn., ruled against the auto maker Friday.

If Saturn has to drop the rotation policy, a union official said, the company might have to adopt some of the rigid work rules it had sought to avoid.

“This ruling will have serious repercussions for the ‘team concept’ approach all over the country,” said Michael Bennett, bargaining chairman of UAW Local 1853 at Saturn.

Saturn said it will appeal.