NEW YORK —
Eighteen former and current Xerox Corp.
employees are filing charges with the U.S. Equal Employment
Opportunity Commission, saying white managers discriminated against
them based on race.
The sales representatives, all black and Hispanic, described
Xerox's sales organization as a "boys club," and a "buddy-buddy
system." They said white managers routinely excluded them from
opportunities to earn higher commissions and to advance within the
company.
"I realized that advancement within Xerox was an absolute
impossibility for minorities," Shawn Byrd, who left Xerox last
year after two years with the company, told The New York Times.
Eleven of the charges were filed Wednesday, the Times reported.
A Xerox spokeswoman said the company has a strict policy
prohibiting discrimination and was looking into the claims.
The workers also said they plan to bring private lawsuits
against the company, possibly seeking class-action status.
