Employees had contacted Springfield NAACP President Denise Williams alleging discrimination, she said in June.
“Everybody needs to be treated equally; there has to be fairness all across the board, and they agreed with that,” Williams told the News-Sun. “And the climate survey showed that there should be some immediate changes happening post haste and ... they were very, very cooperative, and I appreciated that.”
Williams had previously been unsuccessful in her attempts to reach management but she said that was “quickly resolved.”
Gabe’s found employees “very forthcoming and sincere in voicing the need for better training and improved communications,” it said in the release. The company is addressing issues.
Multiple employees, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of losing their jobs, previously told the News-Sun that they faced harassment and discrimination, often on the basis of race or Haitian nationality, at work.
Some said they’d been sent home multiple times due to having little to no work to complete. One said they had been subject to retaliation for complaints about mistreatment.
“We appreciate the outreach by the NAACP,” said Paula Thorn, managing director of Gabe’s Human Resources. “We are grateful for the cooperation and candor of our associates during this investigation. The conversations we had with associates are important and that dialogue will remain ongoing.”
“I thank Gabe’s for stepping up immediately and conducting this in-depth investigation,” Williams said in the release. “I am grateful, in the spirit of cooperation, that we were able to partner to resolve this issue.”
One employee, Amie Keaton, said she was fired from the company, believing it to be for contacting the NAACP and the News-Sun. She said she was harassed “every single day” for seven months.
Gabriel Brothers Inc. — the discount retail chain also known as Gabe’s — employs more than 200 people at a distribution center it opened in Springfield two years ago in the Prime Ohio development at I-70 and Ohio 41.
The facility is larger than the company’s five other distribution centers combined, and it’s the largest building located within Springfield’s corporate boundaries.
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