Staff Reports
The Biden administration sued Exxon Mobil after several nooses were discovered in a plant in Louisiana.
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission claimed that Exxon Mobil did not take adequate measures to address the issue of nooses found by African-American employees.
In January 2020, a black employee at the plant discovered a noose. According to the lawsuit, Exxon Mobil was aware of multiple similar incidents in the past couple of years. In December 2020, another incident reportedly happened.
According to the EEOC, Exxon Mobil failed to take adequate measures to stop the harassment. It also claims that the company did not investigate all of the incidents.
In a press release, Elizabeth Owen, an attorney for the EEOC, noted that nooses have been used to symbolize lynching of African-Americans. They are very threatening and can significantly affect the working environment of African-Americans.
The lawsuit claims that Exxon Mobil discriminated against African-Americans by failing to take adequate measures to address the issue.
One of the most striking aspects of the report is the lack of evidence supporting the claim that these were nooses. In large refineries, where thousands of workers are involved in various tasks, it is common for workers to find ropes tied to the building.
In response to the government's filing, Exxon Mobil stated that it conducted an investigation after the incident, but it did not find anything indicating that the nooses were racist. The Biden administration is reportedly upset that the company did not do enough to address the issue of harassment against African-Americans. What would doing enough look like to prevent this type of behavior?
The way the EEOC has been abusing its power is very apparent, and it is a stretch to believe that Exxon Mobil's actions amounted to endorsing racial discrimination under the 1964 Civil Rights Act. Moreover, there have been numerous hoaxes involving nooses over the past decade. Who could blame a company for not conducting an investigation on these types of incidents?
This lawsuit is the latest attempt by the Biden administration to take down Exxon Mobil, as the former is in an ongoing war against the oil industry. It is also a way to extract money from the companies that are being targeted.
The federal government shouldn't have the power to take over the private sector, especially when it uses it to punish smaller companies. This is especially true when the EEOC has used its resources to take down smaller firms such as Exxon Mobil.
The preceding article is a summary of an article that originally appeared on RedState
