Opinion ID: 2996224
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Miscellaneous Claims of Race Discrimination

Text: In addition to his claims stemming from the passed-over promotion, Johnson also complains that he was singled out for unfavorable treatment by Cambridge because of his race. This charge is backed up with allegations that Johnson was given harder tasks at work and made to perform them alone (tasks that white co-workers always undertook as a group), and that he was told to wear safety goggles even though white co-workers were not given the same admonition. We need not belabor Johnson’s race discrimination claims beyond briefly noting why he cannot make out his prima facie case. Simply put, nothing about which Johnson is complaining amounts to an adverse employment action. The definition of an adverse employment action is generous, but it is still subject to certain limitations. See Herrnreiter v. Chicago Housing Auth., 315 F.3d 742, 744 (7th Cir. 2002); Haugerud v. Amery School Dist. 259 F.3d 678, 691 (7th Cir. 2001). At the very least, Johnson must show some quantitative or qualitative change in the terms or conditions of his employment that is more than a mere subjective preference. Herrnreiter, 315 F.3d at 744-45. Being made to wear safety goggles does not meet this standard. Nor does Johnson’s allegation that he was given harder work assignments, under the circumstances he describes. In his deposition testimony, Johnson boasted about his superior capabilities as an explanation for why he got harder work assignments. Meridian pointed to this statement as a legitimate, non-discriminatory reason for its actions: it gives more demanding jobs to better employees, regardless of race. This non-race-based explanation puts the burden back on Johnson to prove that Meridian treated him differently because of his race. As we have said before, summary judgment “is the ‘put up or shut up’ moment in a lawsuit, when a party must show what evidence it has No. 02-1749 15 that would convince a trier of fact to accept its version of events.” Schacht v. Wisconsin Dep’t of Corr., 175 F.3d 497, 504 (7th Cir. 1999). Johnson offers no additional evidence from which it may be inferred that he was made to perform harder jobs because of his race and not his capabilities. Therefore summary judgment in Meridian’s favor was proper.