Worker claims discrimination at Michigan utility

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich.-- A federal discrimination lawsuit claims two employees of the Lansing Board of Water & Light wore hoods similar to those of the Ku Klux Klan to apparently taunt a black co-worker.

The Lansing State Journal reports the lawsuit was filed this month on behalf of Corey Clay in U.S. District Court in Grand Rapids.

Mark Nixon, a spokesman for the Lansing utility, says management took immediate action that resulted in disciplinary action and the termination an employee after learning of the November incident.

The lawsuit says Clay was working with an all-white crew and looked into a manhole to see two co-workers wearing white hoods with eye holes cut out. The suit says Clay endured a hostile work environment for years.

The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages.