Opinion ID: 785396
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Concrete Actions

Text: Events Involving Supervisor Jim Noson 6 Jim Noson supervised McGinest for five or six years, at a facility in Long Beach, ending in the early 1990s. During this time, Noson engaged in numerous acts of racial harassment directed toward McGinest. Although the majority of these incidents were not accompanied by explicit racial comments, McGinest testified at his deposition that Noson's behavior and any comment that he made was because of my race. According to McGinest, Noson forced McGinest to work under dangerous conditions or without proper equipment, and subjected him to obscene and demeaning language. When McGinest was responsible for a project, Noson would not provide him with sufficient crew members to safely perform the job. Noson also indicated his desire to fire McGinest on several occasions, and specifically stated that he wished to provoke McGinest into fighting with another worker so that he could fire both of them. On one occasion, Noson noted that McGinest was wearing a gold chain, and commented only drug dealers can afford nice gold chains. Noson's abusive conduct was also aimed at Matt Ketchum, a white coworker and friend of McGinest. McGinest testified that although Ketchum received the blunt of the problem too, it still was directed to me because of my race.... 90 percent of time, if he wasn't [] with me, he wouldn't receive the same bashing. 7 Any time that McGinest had a problem with Noson he gave notes complaining about Noson's conduct to his supervisor, Hank Bisnar, and complained in person. Because McGinest's complaints were not successful in remedying the problem, McGinest ultimately filed an internal discrimination complaint noting twelve incidents where Noson had treated him in a discriminatory manner. GTE claims that it conducted an internal investigation, finding Noson's comments to be merely shoptalk, but requiring Noson to apologize to McGinest. However, McGinest states that he never received a response to his complaint. Overtime for Relief Supervisors 8 From 1995 to 1997, non-African-American relief supervisors received overtime pay when they arrived early to set up for their shift. On some occasions, relief supervisors were permitted to claim an entire hour of overtime when they arrived just five minutes early to set up for their shift. GTE acknowledges that until the arrival of the new manager, Mike Begg, there was an unwritten rule that relief supervisors got an hour of overtime for each shift. McGinest testified that even after Begg's arrival, some supervisors continued to get bonus overtime pay, however, McGinest's supervisor, Don Roberts, refused to allow him to claim any of the overtime that he actually worked when he was a relief supervisor. McGinest challenged this differential treatment for several paychecks, submitting timesheets that reflected the overtime that he worked, only to have the overtime removed by Roberts. McGinest complained repeatedly about this treatment. 9 Coworkers' Refusal to Obey When McGinest Was Relief Supervisor 10 In 1995, McGinest moved from the Long Beach facility to Huntington Beach. Upon his arrival, he had difficulties with coworkers who refused to work under his supervision when he was the relief supervisor. On one occasion, several workers refused to work for him in carrying out a job that was extremely dirty and undesirable. Brian Brand, a white coworker, testified that they also refused to work for him on the same occasion. McGinest did not complain to management about this incident. Maintenance of Vehicles 11 In March of 1997 McGinest became concerned that one of the tires on his company vehicle was wearing out. Since ninety percent of his driving time was on the freeway, he was concerned for his safety. He sent a request in writing to the garage to have the tire replaced, but the garage mechanic replied that there was nothing wrong with the tire. He also informed his supervisor, Don Roberts, about the need to replace the tire, but Roberts said that the company wouldn't spend any money on any tires. After McGinest's request for repair was denied, he showed the tire to another supervisor, who agreed that the tire looked bald. 12 Two to three weeks after these events, the tire blew out while McGinest was driving the vehicle and he crashed into a wall. McGinest was treated for injuries at the hospital. His leg was injured and he had to wear a neck brace. 13 McGinest testified that almost everyone was driving around in vehicles with better tires. He explained that when white employees want[] something fixed, they get it, and cited an example of a white employee who had requested new tires around the same time that McGinest had, but who had obtained them. Another coworker, Brand, agreed that the garage mechanic and the foreman seemed to have a particular problem with three black employees, one of whom was McGinest, noting that they continuously treated George [McGinest] in a de[]meaning and[condescending] manner in my presence. Brand testified that [f]or the most part they seemed to be pretty good with myself, and [others] ... we happen to be white, it could have been racial. It could have been just personality.