Lufkin Race Discrimination Lawsuit

According to an October 22, 2009 Associated Press story appearing in The Houston Sun, more than a thousand of Lufkin Industries, Inc.’s current and former black employees stand to divvy up $5.5 million in back pay and interest as compensation for what a Federal Judge called the company’s unlawful discrimination in awarding promotions.  While each worker will get a modest sum, those who brought the lawsuit see the award as validation of their struggle for equality in a region often associated with racial turmoil.  Along with the $5.5 million in damages, U. S. District Judge Ron Clark has ordered Lufkin Industries to pay the plaintiffs’ attorney fees, estimated at nearly $5.6 million after 12 years of litigation.  As reported in the article, rulings, testimony and statistical analyses generated by the discrimination lawsuit allegedly show that the company channeled black workers into its foundry, where conditions were harshest, and unfairly denied promotions to black employees more than 100 times.  In addition, the article states that U. S. District Judge Howell Cobb found the company liable for both its handling of promotions and its placement of black workers in the foundry.  However, the article further reports that the foundry ruling was struck down on appeal because the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission had not investigated the matter.  Further information about the Associated Press story can be found in The Houston Sun, p. 3, October 22, 2009 edition.