ONONDAGA COUNTY, N.Y. — Onondaga County lawmakers, on Tuesday, unanimously approved paying $250,000 to settle a racial discrimination lawsuit from a former employee. Sean Hamilton, an African American seasonal employee, said his co-workers harassed him with racist comments and epithets.
Hamilton worked two winters as a motor operator in the county transportation department. The lawsuit alleged that during Hamilton’s employment, white co-workers directed the N-word toward him multiple times, and made derisive comments such as “We should have kept y’all as slaves,” according to Hamilton.
The verbal abuse and racist comments created a hostile work environment, said Hamilton.
Hamilton also complained that he was denied equal opportunity to drive a plow or truck during his employment with the county transportation department. He was fired in 2014, partly because he “could not drive a truck,” according to his complaint filed in federal court.
Hamilton was employed from 2012 to 2014. He filed a complaint with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in 2014, two months after he was fired.
County transportation officials said in depositions that Hamilton’s driving skills were inadequate for him to safely operate a vehicle, however, Hamilton denies this, saying he was given limited opportunities to drive trucks.
A myriad of co-workers accused of making racist comments towards Hamilton said in sworn depositions that they were unaware of any hostility towards Hamilton. One employee, who admitted to using the N-word, stated that he did not use the word towards Hamilton, and later apologized for uttering the word in his presence.
