A longtime Bayonne Department of Public Works (DPW) employee filed a discrimination lawsuit last week alleging that he wasn’t promoted at the end of 2024 because he’s Black.
Facebook photo.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
The two-count lawsuit, which alleges both race and age discrimination, was filed in Hudson County Superior Court one week ago by Gregory Noble and Jessica Ma – of the Springfield-based law firm O’Connor, Parsons, Lane, & Noble on behalf of their client Randy Williams.
Williams, 62, began working for the City of Bayonne in 2000 as a groundskeeper, was promoted to maintenance repair in 2005, and senior maintenance repair in 2018.
“Upon information and belief, there are only around three black employees in the City, including Plaintiff. Plaintiff has had no significant performance issues or write-ups during the course of his 26-year career at the City … Throughout Plaintiff’s employment he was the victim of racial discrimination and more recently passed over for promotion over his white coworkers,” the lawsuit contends.
“Starting in or around 2013-2015, Plaintiff expressed his interest in a Maintenance Supervisor role with the City. Accordingly, Plaintiff went to his then-supervisors and inquired about how he could be promoted to the Maintenance Supervisor role. Plaintiff was told that he could not be promoted to the maintenance supervisor role until he obtained and worked as a ‘senior’ ranking position.”
After he got promoted to senior maintenance repair in 2018, Williams took the requisite tests and achieved a score that would warrant a promotion before submitting an application for maintenance supervisor in September 2024.
About two months later, Williams met with DPW Director Tommy Cotter, who allegedly informed him “that the position was ‘only for Josh Yorkon,’” a white man who is about 19 years younger than Williams.
According to the lawsuit, Cotter said Williams was “not qualified” since all he did was “clean parks.”
Counsel for Williams argues, through the suit, that he was indeed qualified, since he possesses a valid New Jersey driver’s license, five years of work experience involving construction or and maintenance of building and grounds, and at least two as a supervisor.
“Plaintiff meets every one of these requirements, having spent twenty-five years with the City, with the last six working in Senior Maintenance Repair, doing precisely what was asked of him since he first expressed interest in the role over a decade ago,” the lawsuit says.
“Furthermore, Mr. Cotter’s supposed justification about cleaning parks is undermined by the fact that, on prior occasions when Plaintiff sought other positions within the City, he was told he lacked the requisite experience, the very experience the City itself had repeatedly denied him the opportunity to obtain.”
Additionally, the court filing contends that Yorkon received a provisional title sometime between 2022 and 2023 to eventually justify him getting promoted over Williams.
His attorneys also argue that five people – three hired after Williams and two around the same time – were all promoted before him.
“At the present time, Plaintiff remains employed at the City, remains on the promotion list with a qualifying score, and remains unpromoted, passed over in favor of at least five white employees, three of whom were hired after him,” the suit states.
“There is no legitimate explanation for this. The pattern is plain: the City has systematically promoted less experienced white employees over Plaintiff, a qualified black employee. Plaintiff has not been promoted because he is Black.”
As a result, Williams is seeking full compensation for front pay, back pay and benefits with full remuneration – with interest – compensatory, consequential, and punitive damage, as well as pre-judgement fees, attorneys’ fees and costs, along with any other relief the court deems just and equitable.
Bayonne spokesman Joe Ryan said the city does not comment on pending litigation.