Latino workers have sued a manufacturer in Eastford, Connecticut, over alleged wage theft and racial discrimination.
The complaint filed this week on behalf of 25 current employees says white managers made racist insults to workers and forced them to clock out early at noon, then work the rest of the day.
Psalm Brown is a member of Yale Worker and Immigrant Rights Law Clinic, which represents the plaintiffs. He said Latino workers faced poor conditions compared to their white co-workers. That includes lack of access to a place to eat lunch indoors.
“They didn’t have a sink to wash their hands, which was especially problematic given the COVID-19 pandemic this past year, so that’s a big health concern as well,” Brown said.
Brown said the workers hope to recover lost wages. The workers organized with help from CCT, an immigrant workers center in New Bedford, Massachusetts.
A previous version of this story and headline incorrectly placed the location of the manufacturer. It is Eastford, Connecticut.