Another accusation, AT&T at the forefront. Let's put her up full mass. According to Stacey Fowler, who worked at AT&T for over three decades, she was fired from her job after reporting a racist and [00:00:16] alarming threat made against her. Now, she's suing because according to her, the company illegally discriminated and retaliated, according to the lawsuit obtained by Atlanta Black Star. [00:00:36] Atlanta Fowler, excuse me, Stacy Fowler, according to Atlanta Black Star, is 53 years of age, held a senior position at AT&T, Ohio, following her recent termination. The lawsuit was filed in late September against at AT&T Inc, [00:00:52] AT&T Midwest and Ohio Bell Telephone Company. This is a hell of a story. So Fowler served as an employee at AT&T Ohio's Construction and Engineering Department for more than 32 years, according to the filing. In 2021, she was promoted to Director of Access, [00:01:10] which the lawsuit noted is a white male-dominated department. She received positive performance reviews throughout her career. On March 30, 2023, when Fowler returned to her office after spending hours in meetings with managers, [00:01:26] she found an offensive note with her business card stapled to it. The complaint said, you stupid N-word b. If we can't take you down, we'll take you out. End quote, the letter said. [00:01:43] A photo in the lawsuit shows, her job title was also scratched out on the business card. All right, now you see what's happening. She comes back to her department. She finds this racist note, looks to be a threat to me. [00:02:01] I would interpret it as a threat, if I were the worker or in fact, the CEO. That's a threat. First thing I would do, I need to know everyone who voted for Trump, number one. All right, according to the complaint, [00:02:17] Fowler contacted the supervisor, as she is to do via protocol. And the company's asset protection unit to report the threat. Once again, per protocol, she was instructed to work from home amid an investigation. [00:02:33] And to also file an official police report, which she completed on April 1st. However, it took weeks before she heard back from the team. April 11, she was informed by an investigator, [00:02:50] that he collected three witness statements and tipped off about the employee who potentially wrote the note. He also told her to sign a formal document relating to her claim. Days later, she was called into a meeting and [00:03:08] fired based on a separate reverse discrimination investigation. Quote, rather than hold a single person responsible for this currently racist act, AT&T protected the racist, fulfilled their wishes, [00:03:25] and fired Fowler instead, mere weeks after Fowler was threatened. Then AT&T replaced Fowler with a white male, which was likely the wishes of the racist. In doing so, AT&T made clear that it would go above and beyond to protect white males [00:03:43] at the expense of minorities and females in general, and Fowler in particular. The reverse discrimination investigation came before Fowler's firing in November 22nd, 2022 ,excuse me. She was ordered to ax about 25% of her team, according to the lawsuit, [00:04:01] mostly low ranking managers with little assistance from the company. She allowed the area managers to select which roles to reduce and supported their decision, which was finalized in 2023. The lawsuit says, one of the area managers told a group of terminated employees, [00:04:20] that she chose to terminate them because they are white men, and against company policy gave them confidential managerial documents. That's when one of the terminated employees filed a reverse discrimination claim, it was bogus in the beginning. The probe was open, and the team investigated Fowler's email and [00:04:38] interrogated her, although she made them aware, that she did not make any decision on the terminations. She made no decisions on terminations. She explained that the area managers, who are white men, had the final say. The filing accuses AT&T of working swiftly to look into the reverse [00:04:55] discrimination claim. And did not treat the vicious and vile, racist and misogynistic death threat that Fowler reported with any urgency or gravity. Speaking to The Daily Beast, Fowler says she's disappointed with how the company handled the situation. [00:05:11] Remember, she's been with them over 30 years. They did not care about my psychological well being, any of that, she told the outlet. I just felt like nobody really took me seriously. Nobody really cared. In a statement to the publication, an AT&T spokesperson condemned the letter, [00:05:29] adding that they could not find the culprit. However, the rep noted that Fowler was let go because she violated company policy. We do not discriminate or do we tolerate discrimination of any kind, including based on race or any other factor, the statement to The Daily Beast said. [00:05:45] Any suggestion, that we do is just wrong and intend ,we intend to fight this lawsuit. Okay AT&T, fight at your own peril. Because, when all of those workers are under deposition, under sworn affidavit, [00:06:02] etc, to testify as to the knowledge that they have of your particular practices, well, let's just say Pandora's box will open. We will bring you an update as the story develops.