Waukesha Company To Pay $140K To Settle Racist Harassment Suit

WAUKESHA, WI — A construction company in Waukesha will pay $140,000 to settle a harassment and retaliation lawsuit after Black employees complained of racist slurs and discrimination in the workplace, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission announced Thursday.

Black employees were repeatedly subjected to racist slurs while working at Giertsen Restoration, operated by the Giertsen Company of Wisconsin, the commission said. Federal regulators accused the company of violating federal law by creating a hostile work environment where employees and managers made repeated racist comments and retaliated against employees who complained about it.

Giertsen didn't address the harassment but rather assigned one of the employees who complained to more physically demanding work and eventually fired him in retaliation, the commission said. In doing so, the company violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which bans discrimination in the workplace due to race and retaliation against employees for complaining about discrimination.

The suit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin.

In addition to monetary damages, the settlement will require Giertsen to appoint and train an equal employment opportunity officer to handle any future discrimination complaints at the company.

“Employers cannot allow their employees to be subjected to racial slurs and comments,” Milwaukee area commission director Wendy Martin said. “Such conduct must not be tolerated in the workplace.”

Giertsen Restoration didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.