Frito-Lay Faces Discrimination Lawsuit in Kansas

Employees regularly heard racial slurs and were threatened with lynching.

A new federal lawsuit claims that Black employees at Frito-Lay's plant in Topeka, Kan., were faced with harassment and discrimination.

According to the AP, employees regularly heard racial slurs and were threatened with lynching. The lawsuit says plant managers allowed the behavior and didn't reprimand the employees involved. 

According to the Kansas City Star, Black workers were also disciplined unfairly and didn't have the same advancement opportunities as their white co-workers. 

A lawsuit represents one current and two former Black employees. 

One employee, who was with the company from 2009 to 2018, says a noose was found in the plant and an employee used bigoted language.

In a statement, Frito-Lay said that "discrimination of any kind is not tolerated," but the employees have lost patience. 

The employees are suing Frito-Lay for violating the Civil Rights Act. 

The company said it dedicates significant resources to racial equality and social justice initiatives.

More