Page 8 - Florida Sentinel 8-20-19

Page Eight
Ex-UCLA Employee Awarded Nearly $1.6M In Harassment Suit
Trump Trade Policies Bring Chaos To The Florida Economy, Farmers And Consumers
NIKKI FRIED Florida Commissioner of Agriculture
DARREN SOTO U. S. Representative
A Black former UCLA phlebotomist who said she was subjected to racial ha- rassment that included use of the N-word, was awarded nearly $1.6 million in dam- ages by a jury.
The Los Angeles Superior Court jury rejected Nicole Birden’s claim that she was fired in 2016 due to her race, but the panel determined she was subjected to severe or pervasive harassment be- cause she is Black and that her supervisors failed to take corrective actions.
The jury awarded the 48- year-old Birden $500,000 for past emotional distress and mental harm, $800,000 for future emotional distress and mental harm, more than $190,000 for past economic loss and more than $86,000 for future economic loss.
“We are thankful that a di- verse Los Angeles jury could come together and give Ms. Birden the justice she de- served after a hard-fought jury trial,” Birden’s attor- ney, V. James DeSimone, said.
Lawyer Stephen Ronk, on behalf of the UC Board of Regents, argued during the trial that Birden was fired
because of a “clear pattern of performance issues.”
UCLA Health issued a statement Tuesday saying it was disappointed in the ver- dict and reviewing its legal options.
According to her lawsuit, filed in May 2017, Birden began working at UCLA Med- ical Center, Santa Monica’s clinical laboratory in 2015 and was employed on a per diem basis. She was one of about five or six black em- ployees in a mostly Latino de- partment, according to the suit.
According to her com- plaint, one of Birden’s Latino co-workers used the N-word in her presence by calling her “my n—a.” The language bothered Birden, as did his playing of rap music in which singers used the of- fensive term, according to the suit, which alleges that other Latino employees called her “lazy,” “dark woman” and “liar” in Spanish.
In addition, some co- workers called Birden “the Black girl with the attitude,” DeSimone told the jury.
Birden was a dedicated worker who drew blood from as many as seven patients an
hour, DeSimone said of his client, a single mother of a 28-year-old and 21-year-old twins.
He said Birden made nu- merous reports to manage- ment about her alleged mistreatment, but “her com- plaints fell on deaf ears.”
Birden has suffered fi- nancial losses as well as emo- tional distress, DeSimone said. She now works for Kaiser Permanente, but has fewer benefits, he said.
This article originally ap- peared in The Los Angeles Sentinel.
FYI
Nicole Birden and her attorneys during interview.
The state could lose 8,000 jobs, $389 million
U. S. Rep. Darren Soto for Florida's 9th District and Florida Commissioner of Agri- culture Nikki Fried dis- cussed the growing concerns on tariffs imposed by the Trump Administration's trade policies on the sunshine state.
Retaliatory tariffs enacted by China, Canada, Mexico, and other U. S. allies, essen- tially amount to a tax on American consumers, raise prices, undermine the econ- omy, and slows growth.
"President Donald Trump's trade policy has sent our trade relations into absolute chaos," said Con- gressman Soto. "It's hurting Florida's agriculture and man- ufacturing communities, and the tariffs are increasing prices on consumers."
The tariffs will cost the na- tion an estimated 94,000 jobs, 8,000 in Florida according to the Tax Foundation. The econ- omy would suffer to the tune of $389 million. This will im- pact low-income families who can least afford to pay the in- creased costs for food and other goods.
Florida relies heavily on agriculture and the rural coun- ties and small towns that com- prise much of the state will be affected. "For citrus, whether orange juice or otherwise we export to Asia, Europe and other countries beyond and this (trade policy) is raising our prices and making us less competitive," Congressman Soto said. "We're already see- ing our citrus community re- cover from Hurricane Irma and citrus greening, and this is kicking them while they're down."
The Brookings Institution analyzed which tariffs most impact U. S. communities, found that agriculture regions and those producing metals are hurt most.
Going forward Congress- man Soto said Congress is working to restore the North American Free Trade Agree- ment. "We (The Democrats) want to make sure we have strong labor protections in the U. S., Mexico, and Canada." Congressman Soto said. "In addition, President Trump failed to secure a seasonal fruit and vegetable deal for Florida."
Agriculture Commis- sioner Fried also weighed in on the growing tension sur- rounding Trump's trade poli- cies. Commissioner Fried said she opposes the US-Mex- ico-Canada (USMCA) trade deal that is being touted by House Republicans, which she said could lead to Florida los- ing 8,000 farm jobs and suf- fering $389 million in economic losses.
Fried said Trump's trade war with China is the deal cur- rently hurting the state's econ- omy. "Timber is Florida's biggest agricultural commod- ity and timbers exported to China are down 64 percent, this year alone," said Com- missioner Fried.
"Behind all these numbers and all these products, our people," Commissioner Fried said. "Farm families, hard-working people, I've got- ten to know and many who have called Florida home and farmed their land for genera- tions, and many who find their livelihood threatened by President Trump's policies, maybe the president thinks he's helping with the trade war, but as they say, the road to hell is paved with good in- tentions.
There are many other neg- ative impacts of President Trump's trade policies on Florida's economy, including his decision to impose tariffs on solar panels. It serves as a disincentive for our state to join the movement to transi- tion to alternative fuels to combat climate change.
Volunteers
Needed For Massive Grocery Giveaway
Currently, True Prosperity Evangelist Outreach Center distributes free groceries on Mondays, and serves hot meals Monday through Thurs- days, 5-7 p. m., at 8751 N. 40th Street (Tampa 33604).
Starting the first Wednes- day in September (September 4th), the organization will have massive grocery giveaways once a month on the first Wednesday, at 4:30 p. m., at the 40th Street location.
To assist with this venture, Cornelius and Devlyn Hamilton are asking for vol- unteers to help with this ven- ture.
Those interested in volun- teering may call, (813) 985- 7795.
PAGE 8 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY TUESDAY, AUGUST 20, 2019