From President Obama in a KKK hoodie to an Aunt Jemima pancake box picturing the confederate flag on it, offensive emails surfaced that were sent between Zara management. In addition to the racist workplace Zara seems to be fostering, a $40 million discrimination lawsuit was just filed by a former attorney for Zara Ian Jack Miller, claiming he was wrongfully fired for being Jewish, American,and gay.
Amancio Ortega, the founder of Zara and now the second-richest man in the world with a net worth of $71.5 billion, seems to be the one influencing the discriminatory atmosphere. His chauvinistic attitude has been called out for favoring “straight, Spanish, and Christian” employees like himself. The company has also received complaints about handbags depicting swastikas, necklaces with faces in blackface and children’s pajamas that resembled concentration camp uniforms.
Miller stated that he was fired on March 5, which was one day after the retail company received a letter from his lawyer complaining that Miller experienced “unlawful discrimination based on [his] religion, national origin and sexual orientation.”
In response to the allegations, a Zara spokesman said, “The allegations contained in a plaintiff’s press release today are shocking, and, although we have not yet seen a copy of the lawsuit, we will respond strongly and vigorously to these allegations in the Court. We do not tolerate any behavior that is discriminatory or disrespectful, but value each individual’s contributions to our dynamic organization.”
– Amy Donkel
Sources: NY Post and Time
Photo: Time
