Black Workers Say USDA Discriminated

Lawyers have filed a class-action complaint against the U.S. Agriculture Department on behalf of nearly 12,000 black workers, saying that the USDA has wrongly tolerated racism and destroyed careers. Employees say they were passed over for jobs, promotions and raises, and were the target of racial slurs by co-workers and managers. The complaint seeks an unspecified amount of back pay as well as promotions and financial damages. It also demands that the USDA adopt stricter policies against discrimination. Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman has acknowledged that discrimination has been a problem at the department in the past and vowed to correct the problem. The White House proposed adding more than $800,000 to the department’s budget for fiscal 2000, which begins Oct. 1, to process employee complaints. “Under Secretary Glickman’s strong leadership, there has been a sea change in the area of civil rights at USDA,” USDA spokesman Tom Amontree said.