City discriminated against black electricians in KC water department, lawsuit says
A former municipal electrician’s racial discrimination lawsuit against Kansas City is going to trial this week after the worker, who is black, alleged his supervisors in the water department did not allow him to take a training course offered to white workers.
The lawsuit, filed in 2018 in Jackson County Circuit Court, alleges Ronald Williams, a maintenance electrician, was punished for contradicting a white electrician and was not allowed to take a class that could have earned him a promotion. The lawsuit says the city violated the Missouri Human Rights Act during his employment as a maintenance electrician in the Water Services Department from 2011 to February 2017.
The lawsuit also alleges that one of Williams’ supervisors said, on more than occasion, that “African American electricians were incompetent.”
Williams accused the city of treating white employees better and of creating a hostile work environment by not letting black electricians ride together in work trucks while white electricians could. White electricians were also allowed to leave the plant to buy supplies — black electricians were not, the lawsuit said.
Williams’ attorney could not be reached for comment. A co-counsel did not return request for comment.
City spokesman Chris Hernandez said in an email that, “At this point in the legal process, we will let the court filings speak for us.” The city denied most of the allegations in court filings.
The complaints
The lawsuit alleges that when Williams contradicted a white electrician’s assessment of a motor, he was moved to a secondary position that was considered a punishment.
In November 2014, the city offered an industrial motor control training course to maintenance electricians. Williams alleges the city only allowed his white coworkers, including some with less seniority, to take the course. The city said in court filings that the course was a pilot program offered to maintenance electricians with different levels of experience.
Williams complained to his boss about how black employees were not allowed to take the course.
The class lasted 38 weeks, according to the lawsuit, and wrapped up in April 2015. In July of that year, employees were told the class wouldn’t be offered anymore.
Around the same time, Williams asked his supervisor about the qualifications for a new utility electrician position. One requirement was completing the class Williams never had a chance to take, the lawsuit said.
The city said it hasn’t been able to offer training like the pilot program again because of staffing issues and a maintenance electrician shortage.
The hostile work environment was so bad, according to the lawsuit, that Williams quit his job in February 2017.
The lawsuit asks for punitive damages and all expenses Williams incurred. It also asks for appropriate equitable relief — that could mean requiring the city to give Williams the job he feels he should have had if allowed to take the class.
Opening arguments for the case were made Tuesday morning.
Another employment discrimination case against the city ended in a mistrial two weeks ago after a former Human Relations employee sued the city. That lawsuit could come back to trial.
This story was originally published January 28, 2020 at 12:06 PM.
