CHICAGO, Dec. 19, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- A racial discrimination lawsuit has been filed against Zep Inc., a leading industrial and consumer cleaning products company, by one of its Chicago-based employees. The female employee, who is Black alleges the following:
- In November 2021, during a virtual training session, Zep's Vice President of Sales and Service said something to the effect of, "This may offend some people but...." and then repeatedly used a known racial slur, as he described Black workers in the South. The plaintiff was the only Black person in the virtual room.
- The slur was repeated in the presence of at least a dozen other employees, yet nobody voiced an objection.
- The plaintiff immediately complained to multiple people within the company including to HR.
- Zep's Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer told the plaintiff that the VP of Sales did not know the word was a known racial slur.
- When the plaintiff pushed back, the Executive VP told her that since she "couldn't get over it," he would help her "transition from Zep," despite the plaintiff stating that she liked her job but that she did not feel safe.
- Then in January 2022, in an attempt to silently push her out of her job, the Executive VP handed the plaintiff a "Separation Agreement and Release of Claims," offering her 12-weeks' compensation, disguised as wages, in exchange for her confidentiality and departure from the company. She refused to leave.
- In response, Zep continued to retaliate against her by assigning her more dead accounts.
- The plaintiff is a virtual account representative for Zep, a manufacturer of cleaning products to businesses and retailers, including but not limited to Home Depot, Lowe's, Walmart, and Ace Hardware, along with manufacturing giants like Siemens.
About The Law Firm of Tamara N. Holder
The plaintiff is represented by Tamara Holder, who focuses her law practice on employment discrimination, sexual abuse/harassment, and institutional abuse. Holder is a nationally recognized voice on workplace equality and worked as a progressive legal analyst and host on Fox News Channel for nearly a decade. The Law Firm of Tamara N. Holder, LLC, is a boutique practice founded in 2005 by Chicago. For more information, visit tamaraholder.com.
SOURCE The Law Firm of Tamara N. Holder
