Former employee Travis Walker filed a complaint against Kraft Heinz Food Co. LLC., alleging the defendant engaged in racial discrimination in the workplace and wrongful termination.
The plaintiff worked at Kraft from November 2019 until January 2021, per the complaint. In February 2020, the plaintiff applied for a lead position; he said he was passed over by two employees who required more training than him.
The plaintiff then made a protected complaint of racial discrimination to Kraft’s human resources department, the complaint alleged. In August 2020, the plaintiff was called to a meeting with the head of the company to discuss his protected complaint. The complaint alleges that Kraft failed to take action with respect to racial discrimination in the workplace. The complaint cites several instances where the plaintiff was reprimanded for an action others were not, like wearing a personal face mask instead of the company’s, missing an initial on some paperwork, and others.
In January 2021, the plaintiff contracted COVID-19, and he told his employer. A few days later, a coworker called the plaintiff to inform him that his job had been posted for bid. The plaintiff was then informed by his supervisor that he was under investigation for an incident of insubordination. Upon his return to work, the plaintiff’s employment was terminated, per the complaint.
The plaintiff seeks the following for relief: a permanent injunction for the defendant to remove all discrimination, all staff who engaged in discrimination, and create a process for investigations into discrimination, as well as a training program for all employers regarding discrimination. The plaintiff also seeks an award of punitive and monetary damages, as well as a clearing of all negative documentation in his workplace personnel file.
The plaintiff is represented by The Spitz Law Firm, LLC.
