"Discrimination suit alleges black temp workers passed over for Hispanics", 6 Dec 2016

A group of African-American men filed a lawsuit Tuesday in Chicago federal court alleging systematic discrimination by a temporary staffing agency and several of its clients they say passed over black applicants in favor of Hispanic workers.  The lawsuit against Personnel Staffing Group, which does business as MVP Staffing, is seeking class-action status.  The clients named as defendants are Blommer Chocolate Co., Segerdahl Graphics, Mercury Plastics, MPS Chicago (which does business as Jet Lithocolor), The Penray Cos., ARI Packaging and Lawrence Foods.  The...lawsuit claims was directed by clients not to send African-American workers to their companies for assignments.  Those wishes allegedly were communicated using code words, according to testimony from former dispatchers and on-site representatives...Christopher Williams of Workers' Law Office, one of the attorneys representing the plaintiffs, said such a model is prevalent in the fast-growing temporary staffing industry, where competition between agencies puts pressure to keep wages low.  An immigrant-dominated workforce, with language barriers and legal status concerns, is less likely to complain about failure to pay overtime, workplace injuries, wage theft or overwork, according to Williams...