An African-American executive at General Electric Co. filed a $450 million lawsuit against the company on Tuesday, contending that black managers are paid less than their white colleagues and are not being promoted to top leadership posts.
Marc Thomas, the head of GE’s Aviation Materials LP subsidiary in Irving, Texas, contends in the lawsuit that GE thwarted him from advancing to a higher position within the company.
When Thomas complained of biased treatment of minorities and implemented a merit-based bonus plan for employees at his unit, the company retaliated by giving him a poor performance review n effectively ending his career at GE, according to the complaint filed in federal court in Connecticut.
“Instead of promoting Mr. Thomas to a senior management position based on his impressive achievements and courageous stands, GE informed Mr. Thomas that his future at GE is over,” according to the 56-page complaint.
He said his own base salary of $205,000 a year was less than that of a white male subordinate, who made $219,000.
“African Americans are supposed to be happy just to be here but not actually expected to participate,” Thomas said.
“I’m filing this lawsuit because GE is institutionally discriminating against African Americans and this practice has to stop.”