Following through on recent promises to attack systemic discrimination and to focus on race issues in the workplace, the EEOC filed a class action suit March 7 accusing Walgreen Co. of racial bias against thousands of African American managers and pharmacists.

The suit, filed in U.S. District Court in St. Louis, charges that Walgreens assigns African American managers, management trainees and pharmacists to low-performing stores and to stores in African American neighborhoods. As a result, these employees have fewer promotional opportunities than white managers, the EEOC alleges.

“Essentially, Walgreens has made store assignments based on race,” EEOC St. Louis District Director James R. Neely Jr. said in a statement. “This policy has served to restrict the opportunities for advancement of African American employees at Walgreens stores nationwide.”

Walgreens denied the allegations in a statement. “Fairness and equality always have been the cornerstones of our business,” the drugstore giant said. “We're the nation's best-represented retailer in urban areas, and managers of all backgrounds are promoted to senior levels from those locations.”

A group of current and former African American managers filed a private lawsuit in U.S. District Court for Southern Illinois in June 2005 making similar allegations, and are seeking class action status.

The EEOC action comes in the wake of the announcements of two agency initiatives: a renewed focus on systemic discrimination cases announced last year and the E-RACE program (Eradicating Racism and Colorism from Employment), an enforcement campaign focusing on race and color issues in the workplace, announced last month.

“This lawsuit demonstrates that the Commission's focus on systemic cases will be a powerful weapon to tackle obvious as well as subtle forms of race discrimination,” EEOC Chair Naomi C. Earp said in a statement. “We will not rest until workplace decision-making is based on merit rather than immutable and irrelevant characteristics, such as race and color.”

Following through on recent promises to attack systemic discrimination and to focus on race issues in the workplace, the EEOC filed a class action suit March 7 accusing Walgreen Co. of racial bias against thousands of African American managers and pharmacists.

The suit, filed in U.S. District Court in St. Louis, charges that Walgreens assigns African American managers, management trainees and pharmacists to low-performing stores and to stores in African American neighborhoods. As a result, these employees have fewer promotional opportunities than white managers, the EEOC alleges.

“Essentially, Walgreens has made store assignments based on race,” EEOC St. Louis District Director James R. Neely Jr. said in a statement. “This policy has served to restrict the opportunities for advancement of African American employees at Walgreens stores nationwide.”

Walgreens denied the allegations in a statement. “Fairness and equality always have been the cornerstones of our business,” the drugstore giant said. “We're the nation's best-represented retailer in urban areas, and managers of all backgrounds are promoted to senior levels from those locations.”

A group of current and former African American managers filed a private lawsuit in U.S. District Court for Southern Illinois in June 2005 making similar allegations, and are seeking class action status.

The EEOC action comes in the wake of the announcements of two agency initiatives: a renewed focus on systemic discrimination cases announced last year and the E-RACE program (Eradicating Racism and Colorism from Employment), an enforcement campaign focusing on race and color issues in the workplace, announced last month.

“This lawsuit demonstrates that the Commission's focus on systemic cases will be a powerful weapon to tackle obvious as well as subtle forms of race discrimination,” EEOC Chair Naomi C. Earp said in a statement. “We will not rest until workplace decision-making is based on merit rather than immutable and irrelevant characteristics, such as race and color.”