She claims she was written up twice while on medical leave and not working
A former FCA US LLC worker is suing the automaker, claiming she endured sexual harassment, racial discrimination, and retaliation over more than two years.
Hiawaka Banks, an African American woman who spent over a decade at the company, filed a federal lawsuit on January 8 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. The case paints a troubling picture of how her repeated complaints to human resources, labor relations, and union representatives were allegedly ignored, dismissed, or met with punishment.
Banks worked as an Operation Specialist/Assembly Worker from March 2012 until she was terminated on November 25, 2024. The trouble started, according to court filings, in early 2022 when a male coworker told Banks and their union that he saw supervisor Tim Walton taking pictures of her from behind. She reported the incident through the company's ethics hotline that April.
What followed, Banks claims, was retaliation rather than resolution. The union's committeeman allegedly refused to file a grievance because he was friends with Walton. When Banks escalated the matter to John Adams, he met with plant manager Tom Kelley, who allegedly offered a deal: he would drop two write-ups against Banks if the harassment grievance was thrown out. The write-ups, the lawsuit notes, had been issued by Walton himself.
The situation allegedly worsened in July 2023 when a white coworker harassed Banks for wearing a Juneteenth shirt. According to the filing, Banks received a five-day suspension while the white employee received only a warning.
A month later, Banks earned a promotion with unlimited overtime. But Walton became her supervisor. Within the first week, she was written up three times for sitting down, using the restroom, and because her trainer was not constantly at her desk. Her trainer later provided a statement to labor relations calling the write-ups unfounded. Banks was demoted that same week after reporting the issues to human resources.
By December 2023, Banks sought medical treatment as a result of her employment conditions. She was diagnosed with PTSD and took medical leave. When she returned in May 2024, she was called into a meeting and told the company had received an anonymous tip claiming she offered male coworkers drugs and money for sex. The company, she alleges, investigated by asking her male colleagues about the accusation, leaving her humiliated and her reputation damaged.
Perhaps most striking, Banks claims she later discovered she had been written up twice in January 2024, a period when she was on leave and not working at all.
Banks filed three discrimination charges with the Michigan Department of Civil Rights and the EEOC between September 2023 and February 2024. All three resulted in right-to-sue letters last October.
Her lawsuit brings 10 counts under Title VII and Michigan's Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act, including claims for race and sex harassment, discrimination, and retaliation. She is seeking lost wages, benefits, and damages for emotional distress.
No determination has been made on the merits of the case. FCA US LLC has not yet responded to the allegations in court.
