I'm not sure if the company's executives would consider this to be a Kodak moment, but it's certainly a moment in racial history. Kodak, the large film company based out of Rochester, New York, just had a racial discrimination suit settled for the princely sum of $21.4 million.
The suit was filed on behalf of black employees who argued that their white co-workers were being favored for higher pay and more promotions. The legal battle took nearly seven years, and roughly 3,000 current and past workers were given amounts ranging from $1,000 to $50,000.
In addition to favoring white employees over black ones, the company was accused of maintaining a racially-hostile working environment. Out of the massive settlement, roughly $9.7 million is set to go to the attorneys. The employees have complained about the legal fees, since it seems that the lawyers are the ones who stand to benefit the most.
Part of the settlement will go toward the creation of diversity programs to make the working environment more racially-inclusive. Kodak is also set to hire an industrial psychologist and labor statisticians to analyze the company's pay and promotion policies.
In a public statement, Kodak said that the settlement "represents a resolution of mutual interest and it absolutely does not suggest any wrongdoing on the company's part... Kodak is widely recognized as a company committed to creating and maintaining an inclusive workplace in which all employees are valued, treated fairly and can contribute to their full potential."
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Deadly Products You May Have at Home
Product: Full-length chenille robes by Blair
Hazard:The robes are flammable and can catch fire. The items were recalled in April -- about 160,000 of them -- but the deaths all occurred
after the recall notice, and all six deaths were elderly women whose robes caught fire while they were cooking.
Recall notice:
Product: Full-length chenille robes by Blair
Hazard:The robes are flammable and can catch fire. The items were recalled in April -- about 160,000 of them -- but the deaths all occurred after the recall notice, and all six deaths were elderly women whose robes caught fire while they were cooking.
Recall notice:
Deadly Products You May Have at Home
Product: Hill Sportswear Inc. Pullover Hood Sweatshirt and Kid Zipper Sweatshirt with Hood
Hazard: The sweatshirts have drawstrings contrary to U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission guidelines.
What happened: A 3-year-old strangled after the drawstring on his sweatshirt got caught on a play set. Dozens of children have been strangled by drawstrings, leading to the creation of the guidelines in 1996.
What to do: If you have this or any other garment used by a child that has drawstrings, remove them. If you have the Hill Sportswear sweatshirts, return them to the place of purchase for a full refund. Consumers can contact Hill Sportswear toll-free at (877) 322-8760 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. (PT) Monday through Friday.
Recall notice: http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml09/09129.html
Deadly Products You May Have at Home
Product: IKEA Iris and Alvine Roman Blinds
Hazard: Children can strangle in the exposed inner cord on the rear of the blinds. If looped pull cords are present or exposed inner cords are found on the back of blinds or shades and children are in the home or occasionally visit your home, the CPSC suggests replacing them with blinds or shades that do not have exposed pull cords or inner cords.
What happened: A 1-year-old strangled when the cord wrapped twice around her neck.
What to do: Stop using the recalled blinds and return them to any IKEA store to obtain a full refund. For more information, contact IKEA toll-free at (888) 966-4532 anytime, or visit the firm's Web site at www.ikea-usa.com
Recall notice: http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml09/09050.html
Deadly Products You May Have at Home
Product: Ameriwood Industries Inc., Ridgewood/Charleswood entertainment centers.
Hazard: The entertainment centers can collapse if the back panel is not secured.
What happened: A 19-month-old was killed when one of the entertainment centers collapsed and fell on them.
What to do: Stop using the recalled entertainment centers and contact Ameriwood to receive a free support panel repair kit. For more information, contact Ameriwood at 877- 732-8252 between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. CT Monday through Friday, or visit their Web site at www.ameriwood.com
Recall notice: http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml08/08114.html
Deadly Products You May Have at Home
Product: Reebok Heart-Shaped Charm Bracelets
Hazard: Contains high levels of lead, posing risks to young children.
What happened: A 4-year-old reportedly swallowed a piece of one of the bracelets and died. The bracelets were given away after the purchase of certain children's footwear.
What to do: Take the charm bracelets away from children and dispose of the entire bracelet. For more information, contact Reebok at 800-994-6260 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, or visit Reebok's Web site at www.reebok.com
Recall notice: http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml06/06119.html
Deadly Products You May Have at Home
Product: Regent Sports Corporation MacGregor Folding Soccer Goals and Mitre Folding Soccer Goals
Hazard: Young children can have their heads or necks caught in the flexible openings of the net and strangle.
What happened: A 20-month-old was found strangled in one of the goals with his arms and neck tangled in the net.
What to do: Consumers should stop using the recalled soccer goal nets immediately and return them to Regent Sports to receive a free replacement net. Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact Regent Sports at (877) 516-9707 between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. ET Monday through Friday.
Recall notice: http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml08/08400.html
Deadly Products You May Have at Home
Product: Playskool Team Talkin' Tool Bench
Hazard: Oversized, plastic nail toys pose a suffocation hazard to young children.
What happened: Two toddlers suffocated when the toy nails became lodged in their throats.
What to do: If you have this set, do not allow children to play with the toy nails. Contact Playskool for information on returning the nails and receiving a $50 certificate toward the purchase of another product from Playskool or one of its sister companies.
For additional information, call (800) 509-9554 anytime, or go to
http://www.hasbro.com/customer-service/recall/
Recall notice: http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml06/06266.html
Deadly Products You May Have at Home
Product: Delta Enterprise Corp. drop side cribs
Hazard: Failure to use or install safety pegs can cause an entrapment and suffocation risk to infants and toddlers. When the pegs are missing from the lower track, the crib's lock can disengage and create a gap that could catch a small child to become trapped and suffocate.
What happened: An 8-month-old was trapped and suffocated. The CPSC said it also heard of two more children who had gotten trapped, but survived.
What to do: Do not use one of the cribs if the safety peg is missing. Delta will provide a free repair kit. Those with cribs that have all safety pegs installed may continue to use the cribs. Still, the CPSC recommends they contact Delta for the repair kit. Call Delta 800-816-5304 or go to www.cribrecallcenter.com to order the free replacement kit.
Recall notice: http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml09/09017.html
Deadly Products You May Have at Home
Product: MEGA Brands/Rose Art Magnetix play sets
Hazard: Magnets in the sets can fall out and, if more than one is swallowed, can attract each other and cause blockages or perforations in the intestines.
What happened: At the time of the recall, CPSC had been informed of 34 incidents involving the magnets, including the death of a 20-month-old boy and four children aged 3-8 who required surgery and hospitalization.
What to do: Stop using the toys and return them to MEGA Brands for a free replacement toy. Contact MEGA at 800-779-7122 between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, or visit the firm's Web site at www.megabrands.com.
Recall notice: http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml06/06127.html
Deadly Products You May Have at Home
Product: Simplicity Inc. convertible "close-sleeper/bedside sleeper" bassinets
Hazard: Risk of strangulation after entrapment. Metal bars in the cribs are spaced too far apart – beyond what is permitted by the federal crib safety standard.
What happened: Two infants strangled after becoming entrapped in the bassinets' metal bars.
What to do: The company that purchased Simplicity refused to cooperation with the recall. The CPSC warns that no child should be placed in one of the recalled cribs.
Recall notice: Recall notice: http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml08/08378.html
Deadly Products You May Have at Home
Workplace discrimination is a common problem within many corporations and universities across America. Many of us are affected by it, but don't always have the resources or capabilities to do something about it. The disenchanting experience of being cheated out of opportunities you've worked hard for can be devastating to some, even leading to prolonged anger, stress and mental illness. What's even worse is that many institutions that are guilty of racial exclusion are not even aware that they are doing it.
Most of our nation's institutions were built on a foundation of racial inequality: For the first 50 or more years of existence, these companies and universities were legally allowed to consider black folks to be the bottom of the barrel. Unfortunately, most institutions continue to hold on to old ways of doing things and refuse to adjust for the racial inequality created from past decisions. That's what leads to much of the racism that we are forced to deal with today.
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If you want to know if your institution discriminates, the data will tell you nearly everything you need to know. For example, if you teach at a university that hasn't hired or tenured a single African American in over 40 years, that's racism. One of the reasons I vehemently opposed the nomination of Elena Kagan to the Supreme Court is because her campus, the Harvard Law School, has excluded African Americans from tenure track faculty positions for hundreds of years. Kagan chose not to challenge the system, but instead maintained it by not giving tenure to a single African American during her entire time as Dean.
My point here is not to focus on Elena Kagan, but to explain how racism can lurk in the hallways of an institution long after the original perpetrators are dead. If you find yourself excusing racism or simply accepting it as the way things are, then you are doing nothing more than perpetuating America's crippling commitment to sickening inequality.
Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition and a Scholarship in Action Resident of the Institute for Black Public Policy. To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your email, please click here. 
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Comments: (18)
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By: pimpinperry2 on 9/04/2010 11:25PM
These racial discrimination lawsuit is a joke. People see or hear the numbers (in this case $21.4 million} and think wow they're getting paid. However after attorneys fees, distribution among those in the class lawsuit 3,000 and length of time -7 years- it doesn't amount to much. The employees will get anywhere from $1,000 to $50,000.
The company will then make a few cosmetic changes and then it back to business as usual. Now in today's economic climate it's hard to bring a discrimination case to court. In the past decade companies has extracted revenge on the american worker by reducing or eliminating pensions, reducing wages and the end of job security.
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By: The Truth on 9/05/2010 8:43AM
Disappointing to know the members of the lawsuit feel the attorney's 7 year s of work was not worthy of their 30% cut of the money. It took them 7 years to establish n educational program that posts fliers around the work-place, educating people and in some cases merely "enlightening" them. You're right pimpin' it is a "joke" in more ways than one.
And BW?...If the records clearly show "African Americans" did not apply at the "university" you speak of, does that still make it racism?
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By: NDEND on 9/07/2010 10:33AM
In the end it won't really matter. Cause Rev Jackson will still be looking for his car that some guy stole. While the rest of us bolster the rich because we just have to have something. http://bit.ly/samplecenter read their articles on saving money and change the way you think about spending it!
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By: Not Needed on 9/05/2010 10:49AM
Man, 21.4 million. That's it. That number needs to be 21.4 billion. But we are talking about black folk and a white company. This shows why you need not put your faith in racial equality, because it will never exist. Integration killed black business by making black folk think that the white man actually wanted them to participate in equal commerce with him. Instead, black folk end up being the slave (earning less pay as there white counter part, yet doing the same job). Almost half of the money went to the attorneys involved in the case. Wait till the government gets its cut of the money. They would of been better off getting a part-time job instead of waiting on that weak settlement. When will black folks ever learn, don't nothing change but the names and the faces.
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By: derel on 9/05/2010 11:10AM
Agree. Kodak has had diversity programs in place for many years. It's supplier diversity program is a disgrace. They have promoted diversity for years.
Well, I guess a company whose products are not relevant anymore may have had the nail put in the coffin.
AND, they have a Hispanic CEO who looks as white as Bill clinton....ROFL.
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By: djkut on 9/05/2010 11:59AM
Well @ JOE funny you say the " YOU OWE ME PEOPLE "
comment because the welfare programs was started to help whites because it was a National Security issue, because during WW1 White men was to Malnutrition to fight so the govt. put that program with food stamps and welfare programs in place for that so they can be healthy to fight in the war , because remember Blacks could not fight in the war so what you said slap u back in your face....
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By: mike on 9/05/2010 1:04PM
I just hope this does not open the doors for blacks who are looking for a way to sue in the workplace making up bogus claims of yeah I was treated poorly for that promotion kind of thing.Happens way too much in this society.
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By: MasterG on 9/06/2010 4:18PM
To the contrary ... the thousands of legitimate claims are thwarted by the EEOC, which finds evidence of discrimination in only about 2 percent (or less) of the claims. More people should take their claims to directly to court and forget about the EEOC; otherwise, the case will be torpedoed by the EEOC.
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By: Huge_Bullbone on 9/05/2010 6:38PM
Kodak and this discrimination lawuit "settlement" mirrors a vast schism so easily found within the fairness doctrine -- which is the foundation of the America way of life -- and typifies the public and private sector workplace mindset and environments in more ways than one. Ex: Boston Tea Party: Dress up like native people and throw the British tea off the ships in Boston Harbor. US Government: "Sign here Chief Sitting-On-Gold. We only want some of your land". Ford Motor Company: "Keep the pickup truck gas tank where it is and we will pay the cost of the 1 or 2 forecasted lawsuits [rather than re-tool for a safer location/position for the tank]".. Exxon: Hire a trustworthy looking Black CEO to explain away the Valdez oil spill and relieve him of his duties immediately afterwards. General Colin Powell: "I was handpicked in order to be setup and ordered by Bush to be the patsy to go before the UN with claims of 'interest in Sudan yellow cake' by Sadaam and the existence of "WMD's". Where's the reality. Kodak: "We did nothing to harm the petitioners. After all, the lawyers are getting paid big time. Now it's back to business as usual dealing with unbridled and unfair foreign competition". Fairness is only found among the hearts and minds of the growing numbers of individual good people of America -- Not in the legal profession and its playground the just-us system, political arena, government, corporations, or places of for-profit and not-for-profit domestic employment. You can count on that.
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By: Shankyj on 9/05/2010 6:46PM
It is obvious that some people just don't understand what it is people of color go through in this world. If you worked for a black company and were passed over for someone else,maybe you would feel different. For the idiot that can't do his math correctly 9.7 mil is closer to 50% than 30%.
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