HIGHLY-DECORATED, FORMER REPUBLIC SERVICES OPERATIONS MANAGER ALLEGES TOXIC CORPORATE CULTURE, FIRED AFTER COMPLAINTS OF FREQUENT RACIAL SLURS BY WHITE SUPERVISOR

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The Law Firm of Tamara N. Holder, LLC

Feb 08, 2022, 15:22 ET

ATLANTA , Feb. 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- A former Operations Manager for Republic Services (NYSE: RSG) has filed a charge with the EEOC, alleging the company disregarded her complaints of discrimination, and then fired her in retaliation.

The former manager, who is a 57-year-old, disabled, Black female, is seeking federal and state investigations into Republic's corporate culture, from the top down. For example, she alleges that CEO John Vander Ark made a misleading public statement, during racial unrest following the death of George Floyd, falsely claiming that Republic is committed to "inclusiveness and equality."

The former manager, who had "exceeded expectations" in her annual performance reviews for seven years in a row, alleges Republic Services promised her a promotion for nearly two years, only to use her as its face-of-diversity token. For example, Republic asked her to help its lawyers in negotiations with the Teamsters, who were calling for an end to "Republic's plantation mentality." But after negotiations were over, rather than keep its promise, Republic promoted a less-experienced, less-senior white male.

She further alleges Republic decorated her with recognition as a tactic to quiet her complaints. For example, Republic invited her to join the exclusive McKinsey Black Leadership program, as just 1 of 6 Black employees in the entire company, while, at the same time, ignoring her complaints, including:

Her supervisor, a white male, repeatedly referred to Black male frontline workers as "dem boys."
During a meeting, her supervisor, a white male, instructed Black supervisors to "push back" on police when a driver was being issued a ticket. When a Black employee objected to this order, the white male supervisor laughed and said, "We wouldn't want you to be dragged."
When she warned her supervisor, a white male, that a truck was too dangerous to operate, he told her, "Dem boys are going to do what I tell them to do." A few weeks later, the truck rolled over in the landfill, injuring a Black employee.
Her supervisors were manipulating employee surveys documenting employees' feelings on diversity and inclusion in the workplace.

Republic fired her for "irreconcilable differences" despite having just deemed her, via a highly-acclaimed corporate assessment program, "top talent, ready now for the next role."

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SOURCE The Law Firm of Tamara N. Holder, LLC