A Black engineer working for a New Jersey power plant has filed a lawsuit against the company, claiming he was discriminated against due to his race and perceived sexual orientation.
Steffon Josey, 35, of Somerset, states in court papers he was ridiculed for having facial tattoos, called “gay” and found a noose hanging in a building where he was working.
A representative of Bergen Generating Station and its parent company, Consolidated Asset Management Services, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Josey was hired as a control room operating engineer for Bergen Generating Station in Ridgefield on Nov. 14, 2023, but says his co-workers refused to train him.
“Meanwhile, a white employee who was hired alongside plaintiff was trained by plaintiff’s co-workers,” states the lawsuit, filed last summer in Somerset County Superior Court.
The suit says Josey was also denied overtime opportunities.
In January 2024, Josey was in a break room watching the news when a report of a shooting arrest came on the television. The shooter had visible tattoos, the suit says.
He claims a co-worker, who was also in the break room, saw images of the shooter on TV, then looked at Josey and said, “What the f— is on your head?”
Josey, who has head and face tattoos, became uncomfortable by the remark, and felt “as if he was being compared to the criminal on the news,” the lawsuit says.
In another incident, a control-room operator wearing a “Choose Violence” T-shirt used a derogatory remark about a lack of intelligence to describe newly hired workers at the power plant.
Additionally, Josey claims he was screamed at by a supervisor over a faulty computer screen and called “gay” by a co-worker who objected to his making maple syrup bacon.
On Sept. 25, 2024, Josey said he found a noose hanging in a building where steam turbine generator units are installed.
The lawsuit claims Josey tried to complain about the noose and other incidents during a staff meeting but was told, “No, they (upper-level managers) don’t want to hear it.”
Josey then filed a complaint with a human resources representative.
After the complaint was received, the business began to implement training to deal with discrimination and retaliation in the workplace, the suit says.
“However, the damage was done as plaintiff was already subjected to discrimination in the workplace,” the suit says.
The lawsuit claims violations of the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination due to race and perceived sexual orientation.