GM Plant Workers Allege Racist Acts Continue Even After Lawsuits

After three lawsuits alleging rampant racism at a General Motors Co. plant in Toledo, Ohio, and firings in response, African-American workers say the offensive behavior continues.

The latest incident was last week, when a toy monkey was displayed to taunt black co-workers, lawyers for current and former employees at the plant said. It comes after years of racist language on the assembly line, scrawled slogans and swastikas on the restroom walls and nooses suspended in the workplace, as well as misogyny, according to the lawsuits. In addition to the impact on the workers, it’s a reality check for a company whose chief executive officer, Mary Barra, stands as an icon of gender diversity in the C-suite.