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Porch monkey discrimination suits filed against Snapple


porch-monkeyWorkers at Snapple/Dr Pepper Corp. in Northlake have filed two more lawsuits in federal court, charging the beverage company with racial harassment.

Employees Bernard Liddell and Craig Perry, both of whom are black, filed a lawsuit against the company Monday in U.S. District Court.

In the court filing, Liddell, a machine operator for the company since 1994, alleged several instances of racial harassment. The allegations include being called an “overpaid porch monkey” by a white supervisor after a strike was settled, racist graffiti on bathroom stalls, drawings of gorillas and monkeys on cardboard boxes that Liddell was later required to move and a supervisor saying he disliked Liddell based on his race.

Craig Perry, who started as a utility worker for Snapple in 1994, also alleged racial harassment. He claims white management and co-workers used racial slurs and he was denied overtime work, even though he had seniority. In 2007 he filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

Rita Coffee, a spokeswoman for the EEOC, said the commission does not discuss investigations — including whether it is conducting one — and has no lawsuits pending against Snapple’s Northlake facility.

In a separate lawsuit filed May 7, Reginald J. Smith also alleged racial harassment. Smith started as a “laborman” in December 2004. Smith said from 2006 to 2009 he saw racist graffiti on the bathroom walls. Nothing was done about it by management, he claimed.

In his filing Smith also said his supervisor walks or rides in a go-cart with a stick in his hand while directing African-American workers.

Liddell, Perry and Smith join Isael Johnson, who filed suit against Snapple April 17. Johnson, who is black, was fired from his warehouse job on April 10 after nine years; he alleged that a white co-worker wore a Ku Klux Klan hat made of printing paper. He also alleged that a warehouse supervisor called the African-American workers “boys” and one called Johnson a “bitch.”

All four men have hired Chicago-based attorney Lisa Kane.

Calls made May 20 to Snapple’s Northlake facility and to the company headquarters in Plano, Texas, were not returned by deadline.

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2 Responses to 'Porch monkey discrimination suits filed against Snapple'

  1. Porch monkey discrimination suits filed against Snapple Digital | My Site - June 1st, 2009 at 4:08 am

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  2. KrisBelucci - June 2nd, 2009 at 1:27 am

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