Ex Waste Management worker sues over racial discrimination

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A Black former Waste Management employee said in a federal lawsuit that his supervisor and coworkers in Topeka discriminated against him because of his race. The Wichita Eagle reports that Robert Smith worked for the trash company for 13 years before he was fired last year. Smith’s lawsuit describes a series of incidents including coworkers calling him obscenities and playing racist videos when he was around. He said he reported the incidents to supervisors who didn’t investigate them. But Waste Management said in a response to the lawsuit that the company didn’t discriminate against Smith and its lawyers defended the decision to fire him.