Jesse Jackson calls for changes at ThyssenKrupp Elevator
The Rev. Jesse Jackson made a rare suburban visit Wednesday: To Lombard to buy stock in a company accused of racial discrimination.
Accompanied by a former employee of ThyssenKrupp Elevator, Jackson also called for increased diversity awareness at the manufacturing company.
Montrelle Reese worked at ThyssenKrupp as a sales representative between 2007 and 2010 at the company's former office in Westchester. Reese, who is black, says supervisors and co-workers regularly used the n-word around him, made insensitive remarks about black neighborhoods, and at one company meeting, conducted a “blackface” routine.
Reese, 33, has threatened to file suit in federal court against the company, which just last week announced plans to relocate its North American headquarters to Chicago — taking with it 100 jobs. After Reese's lawyers filed a complaint with the Illinois Department of Human Rights in 2010, state officials said they found “substantial evidence” of discrimination.
On Wednesday, Jackson held a news conference at the company's Lombard office, following a meeting with company officials. He said his Rainbow PUSH Coalition has purchased stock in ThyssenKrupp, and as shareholders, they plan to review the company's hiring policies, contracts and procurements.
“The company owes an apology to him and his family. But beyond an apology, there must be a change in the corporate culture,” Jackson said. “There must be some plan, some goals, some targets, some timetables for diversity sensitivity training, so the things that happened to him don't happen to any future employees.”
Rainbow PUSH has purchased stock in 50 corporations in the Chicago area in order to have access to shareholder meetings, Jackson said.
Christian Koenig, president of the company's U.S. division, said he personally became aware of the charges of discrimination through the media. He would not say whether Reese's former supervisors were still working at the company, but noted disciplinary actions could be taken after the matter is investigated.
“Improper, discriminatory harassment is not acceptable to us and will be dealt with all consequence,” Koenig said.
He said company officials have offered their apologies to Reese, who in turn said they “sound sincere.”
But Reese added it wasn't the company executives who used racial epithets, “They didn't use the n-word around me. They didn't parade around in a black face around me.”
Jackson said of 120 mechanics employed locally by ThyssenKrupp, only one is black — Reese's uncle. And since Reese resigned from the company, there are no black salesmen.
“We want to see just how pervasive is this problem,” Jackson said, adding that Reese's case “is just a symptom of a greater malady.”
Koenig said the company will evaluate and strengthen its compliance regulations enforced by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
Jackson said he hopes ThyssenKrupp follows through with plans to bring its national headquarters to Chicago — but he wants the company to commit to being multiracial and multicultural.
“We want the jobs, and the dignity and the opportunities,” Jackson said. “And there's not a contradiction between jobs, dignity and opportunities.”