Facing lawsuit, Target apologizes for ‘multi-cultural tips’ document
A labor relations guide that plaintiffs say was given to managers underlines racial stereotypes of Hispanic people, from eating tacos to wearing sombreros.
That message was part of a document titled “Organization Effectiveness, Employee and Labor Relations Multi-Cultural Tips,” which was allegedly distributed to managers at the warehouse. It’s also a key element in a lawsuit filed by three former Hispanic employees, who claim their ousting was racially driven.
The document included these tips regarding Hispanic stereotypes, according to the lawsuit, details of which were printed at CourthouseNews.com:
a. Food: not everyone eats tacos and burritos;
b. Music: not everyone dances to salsa;
c. Dress: not everyone wears a sombrero;
d. Mexicans (lower education level, some may be undocumented);
e. Cubans (Political refugees, legal status, higher education level); and
f. They may say ‘OK, OK’ and pretend to understand, when they do not, just to save face.
The three former employees also claim their bosses used racial slurs when speaking to them.
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