One refrain we keep hearing in the current Wisconsin story is that we no longer need laws to protect workers, and unions are dying because they no longer serve a purpose. Workers do not need protection because employees no longer have bad practices against labor like in the good old days. And -- the idea that there is racism lingering behind much of the new legislation and outcry against Obama and other black politicians is poppycock.
I saw this article today passed on by a friend that made me realize that all these issues are at play in my own home town. I'll let it speak for itself.
A restaurant in Menomonie, Wis., is being sued by the federal government because its managers posted images of a noose, a Klan hood and other racist depictions that prompted a black employee to complain and then be fired.
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) lawsuit, filed Tuesday against the owners of Sparx Restaurant & Bar, alleges that Dion Miller was fired in retaliation for complaining about the racist atmosphere that the images conveyed.
A manager at Sparx said Wednesday that no one was available to comment.
According to the suit:
Miller arrived for a regular shift and found taped to the cooler a picture of black actor Gary Coleman and a dollar bill that was defaced with a noose around the neck of a black-faced George Washington. Also on the dollar bill were swastikas and the image of a man in a Ku Klux Klan hood.
Sparx's managers told Miller that they had posted the images the evening before and insisted that it was just "a joke."
Some joke. So far I've heard nothing about this in the local media. -- Ah -- yes -- it has now shown up in the local papers - see links below.