In a win for social justice advocates in the workplace, the National Labor Relations Board ruled Wednesday that big-box retailer Home Depot broke the law by requiring workers to remove “, a Black man, by Minneapolis police officers. Floyd’s death sparked Black Lives Matter protests around the country.
Workers at the New Brighton store were dealing with what they said were several racist incidents at the time. One co-worker had exhibited “racial bias toward customers and fellow employees,” the NLRB decision states, to the point where other workers would “intercept” customers of color so they wouldn’t have to deal with the employee in question. Black History Month displays in the store had been vandalized, and some workers felt that managers didn’t sufficiently address what had happened.
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The worker who was unlawfully punished, Antonio Morales, pressed management on the vandalism incident and wound up getting reprimanded for wearing “BLM” marked on a work apron.
“The Home Depot case is one of several before the board involving racial justice messages at work.”
“This was the first time that a manager or supervisor had said anything about the BLM marking even though Morales had worn it continuously for the prior 5 months,” the decision states.
The Home Depot case is one of several before the board involving racial justice messages at work.
In December, one of the agency’s administrative law judges ruled that Whole Foods did not break the law when it told workers to remove their Black Lives Matter gear, saying the protest wasn’t directly tied to their working conditions.
“The fact that BLM may be a movement of great significance to African Americans, and that its goals are valid, does not mean that a rule prohibiting the displaying of such messages at work is ‘racist,’ as some employees implied,” the judge wrote.
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That case is on appeal before the board in Washington.
