Toyota warehouse worker alleges racial slurs and retaliation spanning decades

Between 2015 and 2017, while the worker held a sizing specialist role, coworkers questioned why a “Black girl” was performing sizing work and stated they were “smarter than the Black girl,” the complaint alleges. On one occasion, her chair was taken away after coworkers complained she was “lazy.” The complaint also alleges unwelcome sexual conduct by male employees, including unwelcome advances, unsolicited photographs of their homes, and requests for dates.

Around 2016 or 2017, a new production manager took over the first shift and, the complaint alleges, the harassment intensified. In 2017, he removed the worker from her sizing position. In 2019, when she applied for an open specialist role, the manager selected a Hispanic woman instead despite the worker’s qualifications, according to the filing. Management knew about the conduct and failed to take effective action to stop it, the complaint states.

A complaint on Tuesday, a write-up on Wednesday

On April 1, 2025, the worker used the facility’s public-address system to call an employee to a work area. Coworkers alleged she used inappropriate language – claiming she told the employee to get his “ass” to the BIN section. The worker denies making the statement, the complaint states.

On April 8, 2025 – a Tuesday – the worker handed the production manager a written response denying the allegation and, in the same document, formally reported race discrimination, sex discrimination, and sexual harassment, identifying specific employees she believed had engaged in the conduct. The very next day, April 9, she received her first written disciplinary action based on the disputed PA-system allegation. According to the complaint, the allegation was false and the discipline was retaliatory.

Around April 15, the worker discovered a cord on her machine had been cut, creating a safety hazard, the complaint alleges. She reported it to management and later to an HR representative. According to the filing, neither investigated. During June and July 2025, the complaint states, there were additional attempts to discipline the worker on what the filing calls false accusations, but witnesses corroborated her account and the proposed discipline did not proceed.