airborne

March 24, 1998 / 10:12 AM EST / AP

^Government sues Airborne Express for `harassment' of black employee

PHILADELPHIA (AP) Charging that shipping company Airborne Express discriminated against a black employee before ultimately firing him, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has sued the firm in federal court.

The Seattle-based company discriminated against Rodney Wilkins, of Wilmington, Del., through harassment, unfair disciplinary measures and refusing a transfer request, according to the EEOC's lawsuit, filed Friday.

Wilkins was hired as a driver at the Airborne Express terminal at Philadelphia International Airport terminal in February 1994. In June, he asked to be transferred to Airborne's New Castle, Del., terminal so he could work closer to his sick grandmother.

His request was denied, and Wilkins was sent to the company's southern New Jersey terminal instead. But a white worker with less seniority did get a transfer to Delaware, the lawsuit states.

Wilkins began filing grievances about the transfer, but Jim Pope, the Philadelphia terminal manager who oversaw the transfers, was the same supervisor who handled the grievances, according to the complaint.

In January 1995, Wilkins was transferred back to Philadelphia, where he worked under Pope's direct supervision. Over the next year, Wilkins was disciplined for picayune offenses he was written up for being one minute late, while tardier drivers were not disciplined according to the lawsuit.

Wilkins also endured verbal harassment from his supervisors, the lawsuit said. Pope and other supervisors tried 21 times to fire him and suspended him four times, it said.

When Wilkins filed internal grievances, most of the punishments were overturned as unwarranted.

"No other employee was disciplined as severely as Mr. Wilkins," the lawsuit said.

In June 1995, 31 of Wilkins' co-workers signed a petition urging Airborne's management to put a stop to what the workers called "harassment" of Wilkins at Pope's hands, to no avail. In December, Airborne fired Wilkins for the 21st and final time.

Airborne spokesman Tom Branigan declined to comment on the specifics of the case.

"This is something that Airborne is extremely concerned with, and we've launched an internal investigation," he said.

The EEOC took up Wilkins' case after he filed two complaints with the agency, in February 1995 and in January 1996, after his dismissal, according to regional attorney Wanda Flowers. The agency is seeking compensatory and punitive damages for Wilkins, as well as a comprehensive system to address alleged racial discrimination within Airborne Express.