United Airlines is at the center of a racial discrimination lawsuit, filed in San Francisco's U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, Tuesday
(May 29). Twelve Black pilots employed by the company allege to have
been repeatedly looked over for promotions because of the color of their
skin.
The men filed the suit against the airline's parent company, United Continental Holdings.
"The struggle for inclusion at United Airlines is a long-standing issue
that many have tried to address over a long period of time," said
accuser Captain Leon Miller in a statement. Aside from being racially
charged, many of the men believed that the were punished by the company
for taking part in a separate federal equal employment case brought
against the airline in 2010.
According to the legal documents, United has a history of
discriminatory practices, claims of which they vehemently deny. "We
believe this lawsuit is without merit and will vigorously defend
ourselves," said the airline.
Racial discrimination in the aviation business has become a heated
topic of interest since the TSA enforced a more invasive screening
process. Although the security measure is said to be random,
Black passengers–like a Texas woman who claims to have been singled out because of her Afro–have
complained about constantly being searched. In an attempt to try and
curve the discrimination civil rights groups have banded together to
create a cell phone application which will allow passengers to report incidents as they occur.
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