Government Sues UAL For Racial, Sex Bias

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is suing UAL Corp.’s United Airlines over a ramp worker’s claims she was sexually and racially harassed and retaliated against after she complained.

The lawsuit alleges the worker, who is black, was regularly called racial epithets by her supervisor at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport and harassed by her co-workers, who were all male. After complaining, she was repeatedly assigned undesirable work, which usually was rotated among crew members, and was ultimately fired, the federal agency claims.

A United spokeswoman said the airline does not comment on pending litigation.

The suit seeks compensatory and punitive damages and an injunction prohibiting harassment and discrimination at United in the future. It was filed after efforts to reach a settlement with the airline failed, the EEOC said.