Directed by Owner’s Son and General Counsel to Clean the Pantry Area at Shea Stadium.
Date: December 20, 2004
The former Director of Human Resources of the New York Mets filed suit in federal court in New York this month against the New York Mets, the Chief Operating Officer and owner’s son, Jeffrey Wilpon, and the Mets’ General Counsel, David Cohen, for sex, race and color discrimination.
At one point during her employment, Jackson, an African-American woman who holds a Masters’ Degree in Human Resources, was advised by Mets’ management that she was responsible for cleaning the kitchen or “pantry” area at Shea Stadium. Wilpon, overhearing Jackson object to janitorial duties given her $85,500.00 per annum Director’s level position, confirmed that Ms. Jackson was in fact responsible for removing used kitchen utensils and serving trays from the pantry area.
Ms. Jackson was also directed by Mets’ General Counsel David Cohen to personally ensure that breakfast cereal was available in the kitchen pantry at 8:30 a.m. each workday. Ms. Jackson suggested to Mr. Cohen that the receptionist, who arrived daily at 8:30 a.m., would probably be a more suitable employee to manage the cereal and related morning consumables.
At Mr. Cohen’s insistence, however, Ms. Jackson personally stocked the pantry with dried breakfast cereals and cereal storage containers. Thereafter, Mr. Cohen telephoned Ms. Jackson to complain that the containers “poured out only one or two Cheerios at a time.” When Ms. Jackson advised him that the lids were removable, Mr. Cohen indicated that he did not want to take that particular action as “the cereal could spill.”
Ms. Jackson was also paid less than comparably positioned men at the Mets and denied promised raises and promotions. When she complained about discrimination based on sex, race and color, her employment was terminated in retaliation for the invocation of her civil rights.
Ms. Jackson is seeking monetary compensation including compensatory and punitive damages.
Tuckner, Sipser, Weinstock & Sipser, LLP, a Plaintiff’s labor and employment firm in NYC represents her.
For more information about the case, to obtain a copy of the federal court complaint or to speak with Shez Jackson, contact Jack Tuckner or William Sipser at 212.766.9100 or jtuckner@womensrightsny.com or wjsipser@womensrightsny.com