Hispanic woman claims co-workers used Trump images to harass
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Alexandra Avila, of Columbus Junction, Iowa. Avila has filed a lawsuit that alleges her co-workers at the Coralville, Iowa office of Sedgwick Claims Management Services repeatedly used the image of Donald Trump to harass her after she objected to Trump’s comments about Mexican immigrants.
IOWA CITY, Iowa >> A Hispanic woman says her white co-workers at an Iowa claims office used images of Donald Trump to racially harass her for months after they learned she was angered by his description of Mexican immigrants as rapists, according to a civil rights lawsuit she filed against her company.
Alexandra Avila’s co-workers at Sedgwick Claims Management Services — where they administered benefits for Wal-Mart employees — began calling her an “illegal immigrant” even though she’s a natural-born U.S. citizen, according to the lawsuit filed Monday in Iowa district court. The suit claims her former co-workers placed a picture of an angry-looking Trump as Avila’s computer’s screensaver, signed her up to volunteer for his campaign and sent her racist memes, including one that read: “How’s Mr. Donald Trump going to deport all these illegals? Juan by Juan.”
The Republican presidential candidate’s promise to build a border wall to keep out Mexican immigrants has for months contributed to racial tensions nationwide. “Build a wall” chants have been used by high school students to taunt Latino opponents at sporting events in multiple states, including Iowa, Wisconsin and Indiana. At Kent State University, Latinos marching in the Homecoming parade this month said they were taunted with the same chant.
Avila, a 32-year-old mother of one who worked at Sedgwick for three years, claims she faced similar heckling at her white-collar workplace in Coralville, Iowa, from the beginning of Trump’s campaign in June 2015 until after she was fired five months later.
“It’s been a weird political season where one candidate is taking public stances on things that, if the same words were said in the workplace, might constitute violations of our civil rights laws,” said Avila’s attorney, Paige Fiedler. “His candidacy has emboldened some people to feel like that doesn’t violate social norms anymore.”
Lesley Gudehus, spokeswoman for Memphis, Tennessee-based Sedgwick, declined comment on the lawsuit.
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Avila, born in California to Mexican parents, told colleagues she was upset with Trump’s 2015 campaign launch when he said of Mexican immigrants: “They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists.”
Soon after, the lawsuit claims, colleagues removed the photo Avila had of her young daughter as her computer screensaver and replaced it with a picture of Trump yelling and pointing his finger. When Avila removed the photo, they kept switching it back to Trump, the suit alleges.
An email arrived from the Trump campaign last fall thanking her for the support and asking how she wanted to help, according to the suit. Avila also claims her colleagues sent offensive memes, including one showing a brown-skinned man that read: “Found Jesus — he stabbed me twice.”
When her department was voting on a potluck menu, one co-worker said Avila was ineligible because she was an “illegal immigrant,” drawing laughter from Avila’s boss, the lawsuit claims. Avila contends that after she complained about the harassment, the company accused her of falsifying timecards by claiming she worked minutes more time than she actually did.
Avila was fired last November and escorted out, with Sedgwick saying it would send her personal property later. When her belongings arrived from FedEx, Avila says they contained a handwritten note that called her “La Trumpa” and added: “Illegal immigrants can’t vote or work. Good luck finding a job.”
“Getting that box in the mail was a horrific experience,” Fiedler says.
After her firing, a co-worker sent her an invitation to a Trump rally on Facebook, the lawsuit claims.
The lawsuit, which names Sedgwick and two supervisors, alleges Avila suffered discrimination based on national origin and that the company failed to pay wages she earned.
30 responses to “Hispanic woman claims co-workers used Trump images to harass”
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her coworkers are nothing more than white trash.
What Michael Moore has to say about Donald Trump:
http://www.bizpacreview.com/2016/10/25/goes-viral-trump-will-win-michael-moore-leaves-internet-dazed-confused-fire-404653?utm_source=BizPac+Review+Email+Newsletter&utm_campaign=a2a021faf7-ANY_OPENS_10_26_1610_26_2016&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_fbf9323fb3-a2a021faf7-32889857
if this link isn’t active – you must cut and paste the entire string (from http to 32889857) in your browser
All you Trump supporters should be proud. Those folks are doing exactly what he wants.
So in your narrow mind, Trump is somehow responsible for this BS? You need to find a 12-step for your Kool-Aid addiction, and I’d be quick about it. Your parents healthcare plan isn’t going to cover you much longer.
No, I’m not saying this is Trump’s fault. I’m saying that these are exactly the kind of people that support him.
He fomented and encouraged this type of behavior from his followers. He raised them up out of their hiding places and sewers, and gave them a voice. A national disgrace.
I learned one of the strongest muscles in the human body yet hardest to control is the human tongue. It builds people up or breaks them down. We have choices and they have consequences obviously
Amazing. with all the important issues facing the U.S, Supreme Court judges, foreign policy, terroism,
open borders, a health care system in shambles, a 20 trillion dollar debt, and this is more important? I give up.
Yes, equality and being able to enjoy a full life free of oppression IS more important. It is everyone’s right as a human being. Human beings are at the core and foundation of all of the other issues you raise. No need to give up, as you state. Just keep fighting for the right of all people to live as they choose without infringing on the rights of anyone else.
Thanks, Btaim, well said.
I don’t get it. Is Trump responsible for her being fired? Or was this dug up to refresh voters memories about what Trump said 6 months ago? The media continues to embarrass themselves to advance Waldo’s chances.
It’s the Trump Effect. A lowbrow buffoon leads a bunch of undereducated miscreants who’ve been harboring antisocial, antagonistic thoughts. He makes them feel it’s okay now to think and talk racist, misogynistic, misanthropic, and stoopid.
A great leader, for a bunch of swell folks. Make America Pre-Civil Rights Again!
It will be interesting to see how Hilary works out over the next 8 years…
How the Elites Blew Up the World
Those who squandered America’s economic and strategic advantage are trying to distract from their record
by Laura Ingraham | Updated 25 Oct 2016 at 8:05 PM
Let us be clear: If Hillary Clinton is elected president, all of the problems we see around the world today will continue to fester — because she will continue the same policies that got us here. Four years from now, if she is president, the United States will be weaker, China will be stronger, Russia will be more dangerous, terrorists will be more emboldened, the Middle East will be more unstable, and conditions in Europe will be worse than they are now. We already know that our current policies lead to these results. Why would we want to let things worsen for four more years?
The time has come to strike out on a different path. When you look past all the elite blather about Trump’s “temperament” and “tone,” one thing becomes obvious: On the big foreign policy issues facing America, Trump is right, and the elites are wrong. It is insane — and dangerous — to keep propping up a global trading regime that treats Chinese companies better than American companies. It is insane — and dangerous — to keep wasting the U.S. military on missions that cannot succeed. It is insane — and dangerous — to continue trying to maintain a position in the world that we can no longer afford. It is insane — and dangerous — to tear down all borders and effectively dissolve the nations of the West. Most of all, it is insane to install, as president of the United States, a vapid and untrustworthy politician who has consistently been wrong on every major foreign policy issue of the last 20 years.
Hillary Clinton may win this election. But Trump and his supporters will ultimately win the argument over foreign policy — because his policies at least have a chance of making the world better, while hers never will.
Agree, but you forgot that race relations in the us will be much worse under the H for the next 4 to 8 years. And what will the press print, they cannot shame the H or her husband, and the T is not longer fair game.
Sarge, Laura Ingram, if there were ever small minded pithy rhetoric, Laura has the market cornered.
An 8 year term for Hillary would be about right. Prison term that is.
YES. You really don’t get it. It would also be a waste of time trying to explain it to you.
I do not believe there would be much discussion or debate about Latinos in America, legal or illegal, if those here tried to assimilate into American society. Some do, but far too many don’t. They would rather retain their native language and customs and fly their flags in the faces of Americans, and then expect Americans to accept them. Yes, we are a nation of immigrants, predominantly legal, who learned English, assimilated and became proud and productive Americans without hyphens. Latinos could learn a lot form them.
This is the same logic the Germans used from the about 1919 until the end of WWII to persecute the Jews. Where in this article does it say this American-born woman spoke Spanish or “waved her flag” at work. It appears you need a to go back to school to work on your English since you don’t know “from” from “form.” (“Latinos could learn a lot form them.”)
Are you sure of those things you said. Lots of people born here still don’t speak the english clear.
“the english clear,” there you go.
OK, smart azz, so my spell checker missed a misspelled word. How does that change what I said? My comment has nothing to do with whether this woman spoke Spanish or waved a Mexican flag at anyone. It is about why so many people in the United States have negative perceptions about immigrants. It may surprise you to know that the U.S. motto is “E Pluribus Unum” (from many, one). We became a great nation because immigrants who came from all over the world in the 1800s and first half of the 1900s aspired to become Americans and did so by learning English, which was essential to communicate anywhere in the country, and by working hard to become productive members of our society which most did. Citizens and legal residence proudly referred to themselves as Americans. There were no hyphenated Americans. But something strange occurred during the second half of the 1900s which has resulted in “E Pluribus Unum” becoming a meaningless motto. To make it easier for immigrants to adjust to life in American without learning English, liberal politicians began providing many services in many immigrant languages. It started slow and really picked up steam with each passing year. In many states and municipalities, immigrants now have a “right” to take driver license tests in their native languages, get voting ballots in their native languages, have government provided interpreters in hospital emergency rooms and the list goes on. Foreign languages are now the primary language of instruction in many public school districts and the great state of California has an initiative on this year’s ballot to repeal an English-only immersion requirement and allow bilingual language programs in public schools. Why should immigrants struggle to learn English when all government services are provided in their native language and schools will educate kids in their native language? The inability to speak English results in immigrants clustering in communities where their native language is the primary language and perhaps the only language of communication. There is a term for what is happening in the United States. It is called “Balkanization,” which is the division or fragmentation of the country into smaller regions that are often hostile or uncooperative with one another. It seems like we no longer can refer to people living in the United Sates without using a hyphen between their race or ethnicity and the word American. The country is being divided and liberals are the blame. You are blind if you do not see this happening. United we stand, divided we fall. The fall will come if the trend is not reversed.
Specifically related to the English comment, first there is no state sponsored language, so learning English is not a prerequisite to being an American. Second, language also has nothing to do with belief in American ideals. Third, your position on Latinos totally ignores other ethnic groups like the Chinese, go walk around downtown here, there are tons of folks who don’t speak English.
and why is this news? harrassment for one may be joking for another
as wy hod
I hope she wins a major settlement and that her supervisors who condoned this racist behavior are fired.
I agree with you but what would hurt more is if Wal-Mart would stop doing business with them and went elsewhere. While they are being investigated, this business should be checked if any benefits were denied to Hispanic Wal-Mart employees.
Go figure Iowa? No need lotto, she going be rich!
People calm down. Enjoy your freedom and life in this country. No matter who gets in we the people need to start fighting to preserve our constitution and rights that are being attacked and altered by certain leaders in our federal government. Tired, frustrated, angered, etc., by what has been done by life long politicians. The “Trumpet” may bring what is needed to bring back what our country was built on. Like they say take a chance. If he is elected and cannot preserve or change the corrupt ways of our politicians, then we will know for sure that the road to a globalist type of government is marching on. America for what we know of it maybe a thing of the past.
What our country was built on? You mean like groping women, or raping your wife (the first of three)? How about belittling minorities? Maybe being “egged” on into a twitter response?