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got2bkiddingme · Joined: 21 Jul 2009 Posts: 6

GREENVILLE, S.C. -- An Upstate plant is being accused of discriminating against American workers.

Several former employees of the Faurecia plant in Fountain Inn claim that they were laid off and immediately replaced with foreign workers from Europe and Latin America.

Nearly a dozen former employees have now filed complaints with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission claiming discrimination on the basis of national origin.

Former employee Heather Franklin said that she had worked at Faurecia for more than a year, when she began to notice an influx of foreign workers.

"There were people from other countries joining us, just kind of hanging around observing," she said.

Then, she said that one day when she came back from lunch she was let go in what the company called a workforce reduction.

But Frankin said despite claims of a workforce reduction, she was merely replaced.

"When I returned to my desk, some of my belongings had already been taken for my replacement -- within 15 minutes," she said.

Franklin said, "You know, if they called me at twelve o'clock at night, I was there. It didn't matter what time of day, I tried to do the best I could for them. And that's what I got in return."

"I planned to retire with the company... " Franklin said.

Jeff Smeal was an engineer at Faurecia. He said that before he was fired, he saw other employees let go and replaced with foreign workers.

"I witnessed it," Smeal said. "Several employees were laid off and immediately replaced by transferees from England, from France, Germany, some from Mexico."

Smeal is one of the dozen employees to file complaints with the EEOC that claim Faurecia discriminated on the basis of national origin.

The plaintiffs' attorney, Mel Hutson, said, "We have a company that appears to be discriminating against American citizens in favor of citizens of other countries."

The company Wednesday responded to the charges, saying: "We are aware of the complaints that have been filed. This is an ongoing legal matter and we are not at liberty to comment on it for the benefit of all parties."

Faurecia is a worldwide supplier of auto parts, producing many components for the BMW X5, and has plants in several countries.

One source told News 4 that a contributing factor for the replacement workers may have been to avoid laying off workers at Faurecia's overseas plants.

According to the Russell Sage Foundation, "It is much more difficult to lay off workers in Europe than in the United States, unemployment insurance is far more generous in Europe, and many fewer Americans than Europeans are covered by collective bargaining agreements."

The attorney for the plaintiffs says if the case can't be worked out through the EEOC, he will file a lawsuit against Faurceia in federal court.

admin · Site Admin Joined: 17 Nov 2008 Posts: 74

I haven't heard of this company but it sounds like they were really trying to screw the employees! If this is true and there is proof of this kind of labor turnover, the judicial system will have no choice but to side with the employees. I hope they are slapped with maximum fines!
I remember when the ZF plant was trying to go union and Mercedes tried to step in and block it, similar things happened. They fired about 5 employees that were trying to get the union in and about a year later they had to rehire them and backpay them and pay all their insurance bills while they were out of work. And from other reports not mentioned to the public, it was said that Mercedes better not be caught back in court for this again or it would cost them a lot more!