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Trial Starts in Ford Retaliation Case in Wayne County Circuit Court, While Executives Glitz It Up at the Auto Show
The eyes of the world are looking at Detroit as it opens its doors to the 2007 North American International Auto Show. Glitz and glamour take center stage. The spotlight centers on Ford Motor Company as it announces millions of dollars to be spent in the State of Michigan, upgrading and retooling its plants.
However, hidden in the shadows are numbers of Ford employees, from Vice-Presidents to Directors to Managers to Salaried and Hourly Workers, who are complaining of discrimination, a hostile work environment and retaliation at Ford Motor Company. Ford conducted an audit in the Material Planning Department and found that these complaints had merit. According to their own Personnel Relations Audit, there is a racially hostile work environment; there are substantial discrepancies in wages for African-American employees who perform the same work as their Caucasian counterparts. Women and African American employees are consistently passed over for promotions and the Zero Tolerance Policy that Ford Motor Company has with regard to discrimination of any kind is being blatantly disregarded. In fact, there is retaliation against employees who try to make these issues see the light of day.
Rather than addressing these issues in the workplace, Ford Motor Company is waging war in the Courts – specifically in Wayne County Circuit Court, where a second trial will begin on January 17, 2007. The case, Patterson vs. Ford Motor Company, will be heard before Judge John O’Hare. The plaintiff states Ford has retaliated against her for her complaints of age, gender and race discrimination. Other complaints of racial discrimination are in various stages of the judicial process. Judge Michael Callahan summarily dismissed one of these complaints, without a discussion of the substantial evidence in the case. Judge Kathleen MacDonald dismissed another case without a hearing. Another, Simms vs. Ford Motor Company, was recently heard before Judge Gershwin Drain who dismissed counts of retaliation and hostile work environment and would not allow 17 witnesses to testify. Neither would he allow into evidence Ford’s own 2002 investigation of discrimination that confirmed racial discrimination. Finally, Judge Drain would not allow the word “racism” to be used despite the case being one of racial discrimination. These last three cases are in the Court of Appeals process. Ford Motor Company is using its corporate power however it can to win these cases, behaving, as they say, as good corporate citizens while their attorney announced in open Court that Ford was out to change the discrimination laws in the State of Michigan. All of the judges have, at Ford’s request, refused to allow Ford’s own audit to be used as evidence.
Interestingly enough, Ford Motor Company recently announced it was going to adopt the Toyota Lean Manufacturing program globally. Ironically, several of the plaintiffs are Six Sigma certified and some are also considered experts in the Toyota Production System methodology and implementation.
The Coalition for Corporate Justice and Equal Opportunity at Ford Motor Company is Co-Chaired by Pastor Charles Adams of Hartford Memorial Baptist Church and Pastor Kenneth Flowers of Greater New Mt. Moriah Baptist Church, Father Norman Thomas of Sacred Heart, Pastor Ed Rowe of Central United Methodist Church, Pastor William Walker of First Baptist Church of Detroit as well as other leaders from churches, unions, elected officials and concerned citizens.
The Detroit Free Press has publicly requested that an investigation be conducted in the goings on of the Michigan Supreme Court. The spotlight also needs to shine brightly on Wayne County Circuit Court and this trial on January 17, 2007. ____________________________________________________________________________ ____
The Coalition for Corporate Justice and Equal Opportunity Contact Number is 1-313-861-1300.