Former United Airlines employee was called anti-Asian slurs and physically assaulted on the job, settlement says

United Airlines will pay $99,000 to settle a federal discrimination case in which an Asian American employee alleged that a supervisor called him an anti-Asian slur, told him to pull up his mask and physically assaulted him.

United Airlines will pay $99,000 to settle a federal discrimination case in which an Asian American employee alleged that a supervisor called him an anti-Asian slur, told him to pull up his mask and physically assaulted him.

The incident, which involved Alsunbayar Davaabat, a Mongolian American who was then a driver at the airline’s Denver catering facility, occurred at the height of the coronavirus pandemic amid a rise in reports of anti-Asian hate, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said in a news release. Davaabat resigned because of the company’s lack of action in the immediate aftermath, the release said. 

“The allegations arose at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, when Asian Americans and those of Asian descent experienced public hostility and violence because of their race and/or ethnicity based on a common misconception that Asians caused the virus or pandemic,” the commission said. “The allegations demonstrated how public vitriol manifested as backlash discrimination in the workplace.”

United Airlines said in a statement that the manager was “removed from the workplace” after an investigation and that the employee had declined an offer to return to the company. 

“United is pleased that settling this case will avoid protracted litigation for all parties,” the airline said. 

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/united-airlines-employee-asian-slurs-assaulted-rcna186846

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