A labor leader running for a Democratic National Committee seat who is backed by establishment politicians once called non-Hispanic employees “gringos” and fired employees because of their age, according to a lawsuit.
When Ada Briceño (née Torres) was president of UNITE HERE Local 681, the Free Beacon reported, a jury convicted the hospitality labor organization of discrimination and illegal employment termination.
According to the 2003 , Briceño referred to non-Hispanic employees as “gringos,” denigrated work-related medical conditions of some employees, and fired workers base on their age.
She once told a union vice president, “I’m going to fire these f**king old ladies, and we can get someone else for less money.”
Briceño’s union went on to pay nearly $1 million in damages and legal fees stemming from the lawsuit, a ruling the organization unsuccessfully appealed.
Though she has an established history of workplace discrimination as a labor leader, Briceño is now running for the DNC on a of inclusivity, the Beacon noted.
She is receiving widespread support from the Democratic establishment including California Democratic representatives Gil Cisneros, Harley Rouda, and Mike Levin.
California’s secretary of state and treasurer have also endorsed Briceño.
None of them have spoken about Briceño’s workplace discrimination, however.