EEOC Sues Whataburger for Alleged Retaliation Against Florida Manager

October 5, 2017

The government has sued the Texas-based fast-food chain Whataburger for allegedly retaliating against a white restaurant manager in Florida who refused to follow an upper management directive to hire only white applicants.

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said Sept. 25 that it filed the lawsuit in district court in Tallahassee after failing to reach a pre-litigation agreement.

The suit alleges that Whataburger general and area managers demanded that a restaurant manager in Tallahassee hire only white applicants because Whataburger wanted “the faces behind the counter to match the customer base.”

After the manager refused to follow the directive, the suit says, she was subjected to verbal abuse and unwarranted discipline.

Whataburger spokeswoman Jenny Gregorcyk denied the allegations, adding that about 75 percent of its workforce self-describes as non-white.

Topics Lawsuits Florida

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Latest Comments

  • October 5, 2017 at 1:52 pm
    Big Jim says:
    75% of the employees "Self-Describe" as non-white?
  • October 5, 2017 at 1:31 pm
    Jack Kanauph says:
    Do they have the directive in writing? If so, how can management of Whataburger deny the issue at hand?
  • October 5, 2017 at 11:17 am
    Fair Playing Field says:
    Come on, Whataburger. That's not what a burger chain really oughta be about. What would Mel Tillis say?

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