Black Workers File Racial Bias Suit Against Signature Flight Support Corp - $10 Million

African American employees have filed a $10 million discrimination suit against the San Francisco branch of Signature Flight Support Corp., the world's largest service company for private planes and executive jets, claiming unfair treatment in pay, promotions and firings. One plaintiff in the proposed class-action suit, filed last week in U.S. District Court, said he had been told by the general manager at a 2003 meeting that he had two drawbacks as a supervisor: "You're black, and you have a stammering problem." The remark to Donald Hamilton showed both race and disability discrimination, the lawsuit said. Another plaintiff claimed sex discrimination, saying she was subjected to lewd comments and unwanted touching and sexual advances. Two of the four plaintiffs said they had been fired for made-up reasons when they complained. "Not only are there a few racists, obviously, on the ground, but higher-ups at the corporation have known about the problem and failed to take any action," Louise Renne, the former San Francisco city attorney who represents the plaintiffs, said Tuesday. [more]