Clothing retailer Abercrombie & Fitch was found guilty in November in a federal class-action lawsuit filed in 2003 for race discrimination and will pay up to $40 million in damages.
In the suit, Gonzalez v. Abercrombie & Fitch, the clothing retailer was accused of hiring a predominately white work force and putting its black, Asian and Hispanic workers in less visible job positions and reducing their work hours. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of nine people who are represented by Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund, Asian Pacific American Legal Center, and the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, who claim their clients were either fired or refused a job because of their ethnicity.
"[Applicants] had to have a preppy-like style, but [Abercrombie & Fitch] would hire white people more often than African-Americans."-Caitlin Bell, freshman, SPA
Thomas Saenz, one of the lawyers representing the plaintiffs and vice president of litigation at the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, said white models, workers and magazine ads promote discrimination within the company. He said the $40 million reward is a turning point in workplace discrimination.
"This agreement promises to transform this company, whose distinctiveness will no longer stem from an all-white image and workforce," Saenz said in a press release. "This welcome change results from the courageous actions of the plaintiffs who, beginning five years ago, stepped forward to challenge prevalent discrimination at Abercrombie & Fitch."
Jennifer Lu, an Asian American and former employee of Abercrombie & Fitch, said she was fired because she did not meet the "A&F look" corporate officials were trying to achieve.
"A corporate official had pointed to an Abercrombie poster and told our management at our store, 'You need to have more staff that looks like this.' It was a white male on that poster," Lu said in a "60 Minutes" report.
Representatives from the company refused to comment on the case.
Caitlin Bell, a freshman in the School of Public Affairs, said she noticed some similarities between the case complaints and the environment of the store where she worked.
"When someone would come in and inquire about a job, the management would always look to see if they fit the type of an Abercrombie worker," she said. "They had to have a preppy-like style, but they would hire white people more often than African-Americans."
Bell said the employees at her store "were mostly white, but a few were Asian-American, and maybe three or four were African-American out of the 30 people working there."
Chloe Dee, a freshman in the School of Communication, said she doesn't think the discrimination happens at every store.
"I think the accusations are false because at my store, there are so many people from different ethnic backgrounds and sexual preferences," said Dee. "There is definitely a good mix of employees and it's a fun and laid-back atmosphere."
This is not the first time Abercrombie & Fitch has been accused of racial insensitivity. Last spring, the Asian Pacific American Legal Center complained about a T-shirt that depicted two Asian men in conical hats and the slogan, "Wong Brothers Laundry Service - Two Wongs Can Make it White."
Women, blacks, Asians and Latinos who applied for a job or were terminated between Feb. 24, 1999, to Nov. 16, 2004, are entitled to submit a claim. Employees at Abercrombie Kids and Hollister, two company subsidiaries, are also eligible.
The Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund says individual settlements could range from several hundred to several thousand dollars.
Job applicants or former employees who feel they were discriminated against have until March 25 to send in a claim form.
The retail store employs about 16,700 workers in more than 700 stores in the United States.
