Summary On April 29, 2002, Mehri & Skalet, along with several other well-established class action plaintiffs' firms, filed a class action complaint against BellSouth Corporation, one of the nation’s major provider of telecommunications services. That case, Jenkins v. Bellsouth Corp., alleges a systemic pattern of racial discrimination in pay and promotions.
The complaint was filed on behalf of all current and former hourly and salaried African American employees who have been employed by BellSouth and worked for BellSouth Telecommunications (BST) at any time since April 29, 1998. That represents about 15,000 employees
BellSouth's use of testing in making promotion decisions is a central focus of the case. Plaintiffs allege that BST systematically discriminates against African American hourly workers by denying them promotions into salaried management positions. Further, plaintiffs believe that BellSouth discriminates against African American salaried workers by paying them less than their white peers. According to the lawsuit, about 28% of BST hourly employees are African American, but only 16% of management employees are African American.
Current Status of the Case
On September 18, 2006, the federal district judge denied Plaintiffs’ request to certify this case as a class action. Plaintiffs believe the ruling was based on errors of law. We have filed a request with the Court of Appeals, asking them to review the district court’s ruling. We are currently awaiting their decision.
If you have any information about these practices at BellSouth, or think you have been affected by discrimination at BellSouth, please contact us confidentially. |
