Opinion ID: 6323363
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Paschall

Text: Tube Processing Corporation (“Tube Processing”) hired Ashaki Paschall, a Black woman, through a temporary staﬀing agency to work as a machine operator in its end forming and bending department. 1 Tube Processing is a commercial and aerospace manufacturing company that operates its commercial tube processing facility (“CTP facility”) in Indianapolis, Indiana. Paschall worked in the CTP facility’s Madison Building from September 4, 2018, through October 29, 2018.
John Benash, a white man who worked as a machine op- erator in the end forming and bending department, began training Paschall within her ﬁrst few days on the job. Shortly after training commenced, Paschall complained to Josh Combs, the ﬁrst shift group leader in the end forming and bending department, that she could not work with Benash because he only wanted to talk about Mario Andretti 2 and cars. 1 End forming is a type of process in which the ends of hollow tubes are shaped. The tubes are bent by machines during a process called bending. 2Mario Andretti is a former racing driver, said to be one of the most successful Americans in the history of motorsports. No. 21-1853 3 Although Paschall found Benash’s comments distracting, Benash continued to train her. But a few days later, Benash’s comments turned obscene. Benash asked Paschall: “Do you get wet when you have sex?” and “How does it look[?]” Paschall took these comments to mean Benash was asking her if “black women get wet just like white women get wet.” Understandably hysterical, Paschall immediately reported Benash’s lewd comments to Combs. Combs assigned Paschall to a diﬀerent job for the rest of the day. The next day, Paschall was again assigned to work near Benash. However, he did not make any inappropriate comments to her on that occasion or any other, and Paschall only took oﬀense to Benash’s comments on one other occasion. One day, after she had quickly completed a job, she overheard Benash telling coworkers “ooh that n[]ga be working fast.” Although Benash was not directly speaking to her, Paschall believed he was speaking about her. She reported the incident to Combs. Paschall eventually spoke about the incidents with Sidney Young, the Assistant Vice President of Human Resources for Tube Processing. Young informed Paschall that Benash was out of work for an injury and that she would “deal with that issue when [Benash] comes back.” On September 20, 2018, Young wrote Benash up for having “altercations or disagreements with co-workers.” He was told to keep his “comments relevant to work and work related topics,” and to not use “profane or provocative language around coworkers.” He was also informed that if he did not change his approach, “further disciplinary actions could result.” 4 No. 21-1853
Benash was not the only person causing diﬃculties for Paschall at Tube Processing. Paschall also had troubling interactions with Barb Odom, a white woman who worked as a machine operator in the end forming and bending department. On one occasion, Odom told Paschall that she and her mom used to live in Decatur, Indiana, but moved after “they bussed you guys out there.” Paschall understood that comment to mean that Odom left Decatur because the city integrated its schools. On another occasion, Odom asked Paschall if she had ever had “chocolate covered n[]ger toe.” Not knowing what that term meant, Paschall excused herself and went into the bathroom to look it up on her phone. She learned that it is a slang term for Brazil nuts, and the term was coined “because slaves didn’t have shoes, [so their] feet looked like corn because [they weren’t] allowed to have shoes.” Paschall “felt like [Odom] was trying to ﬁnd a clever way of saying ‘n[]ger’ in front of [her] and it upset [her].” Paschall reported the incident to Combs, who then reported it to Steve Lang, the supervisor of the Madison Building, and to Young. On October 2, 2018, Young sent an email about the incident to Lang; Mike Gill, the Vice President and General Manager; and Tracy Gerth, the Vice President of Human Resources. The email reads, in part: Our issue is how to address [Odom’s] repeat behav- ior given the fact that several senior employees including minorities have made it known she has said this before. … Evidently, we didn't impress on [Odom] the severity of using this word back in 2011 or she isn’t able or willing to change her behavior. No. 21-1853 5 Our decision on how to address this is critical to set a preceden[t] for future events of this nature. One of the people I talked to yesterday went so far as to say that we might lose people and set future minorities up for same terms if we don’t address it harsh enough. Each of the 3 were surprised that she was still using this term and wasn’t showing any re- morse or understanding of the sensitivity of using the N word. We are faced with either Final Warning with Suspension or termination. A transfer to another job at Shelby with the warning is possible to remove her from the environment at Madison. Please weigh in at your earliest convenience. Lang responded by noting that since 2008, Odom had “10 write-ups for performance issues, 7 evaluation reschedules for eﬃciency issues, and 2 documented conversations,” as well as “numerous complaints on how she talks to employees.” Lang concluded his email by recommending Odom be terminated. Gerth responded that she was also leaning toward termination. Young investigated Odom by speaking to several employees of Tube Processing. Eventually, Young placed Odom on a three-day suspension. Odom’s formal write-up stated that she “must never use this word in the facility again in any context,” and that she would suﬀer “[i]mmediate termination if [she] ever use[d] the N word in any context.” Paschall never heard Odom use the N-word again after Odom was sus- pended. Besides the incidents with Benash and Odom, Paschall also had more general complaints about racism aﬀecting her work environment at Tube Processing. For example, she 6 No. 21-1853 claimed that she did not receive overtime after reporting harassment, and that employees wore confederate ﬂag T-shirts and apparel with the slogan “Make America Great Again,” which she believed was racist. However, she never complained to anyone about these issues. Moreover, after complaining to Young about being uncomfortable working in the same department as Odom, Young oﬀered to take Paschall to another department to meet the supervisor and to discuss a possible transfer. After the meeting, Paschall claimed that the supervisor, a white male, refused to shake her hand and “looked at [it] like it was a disease.” Paschall felt like she was not wanted in the brazing department. The next day, Paschall quit her job at Tube Processing. She never complained to management about any incidents of harassment besides the incidents with Benash and Odom.