Racial Discord WSU Janitor Says He’s Been Denied Promotions Because Of Race

The way Ron Patton sees it, Washington State University chose him to appear in several training videos to give the school a multicultural flavor.

In one video, someone posing as a particularly autocratic manager calls Patton an “idiot.”

Now Patton - an African American - is telling federal officials he has heard worse in his real job as a housing custodian.

In a complaint filed with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Patton says has been repeatedly denied promotions because of his race. Moreover, he describes an atmosphere sharply at odds with the friendly, ethnically diverse climate that has long been a goal of the university administration.

Without ruling on his complaint, the commission this month gave Patton the right to file a civil rights suit against WSU. He plans to, with the help of the WSU employees union.

Since starting with WSU in 1982, Patton, who turned 46 Monday, said he was called “boy” by the former assistant director of housing services. He said he’s overheard co-workers talk of “dark meat” and freely use the word “nigger.”

Patton said he was denied breaks and sick leave given other, white employees. He said he has been written up for infractions for which other workers received no punishment.

“There’s rules for custodians, then there’s rules for me,” he said in an interview.

School officials, besieged by at least a dozen pending claims of discrimination, said the university’s Human Relations and Resources division “evaluated and approved” each of the promotions Patton missed.

Jerry Kruse, the former housing services assistant director who Patton says called him “boy,” said he did not recall ever using the term.

“How long ago was this supposed to take place?” Kruse said. “I’m sorry, sir. I cannot remember what I said back 16, 14 years ago. I can’t believe I would say that but I don’t know.”

Kruse said he has never heard housing employees use racial epithets.

A former co-worker of Patton’s who asked not to be identified said Patton’s work is simply not good enough to warrant a promotion.

“You can’t get promoted (just) because you’re black,” the co-worker said. “But that’s what has been drilled into his head.”

Patton’s wife, Trish, who also works in the housing services department and is a union steward, acknowledged his evaluations have not been stellar. “He’s not outstanding; he’s not the worst,” she said.

Aside from his poor attendance record, Trish Patton said, her evaluations were the same as his, and she is now a supervisor. At one point, she was promoted to a position for which he also applied. She is white.

Patton first complained about WSU in 1986, filing with the state Commission on Human Rights and the university’s Affirmative Action office. Working conditions improved, he wrote in his recent complaint, but only for a few years.

Between 1988 and 1991, he said, “off-the-cuff” racial remarks were commonplace.

“Sayings such as ‘nigger rigged,’ ‘nigger work,’ ‘slant eyes’ were common, daily talk,” he wrote. “The management and co-workers seem shocked that someone would be offended. They consider these types of remarks as expressions not offensive.”

Since 1993, said Patton, he has been turned down for promotions five times. After housing officials passed him over and hired his wife, he took a 96-hour human resources training class that gave him the equivalent of a year’s supervisory experience. But when he applied in 1994 to be an on-site lead supervisor, the job went to a white woman with less than a year’s experience, he said.

“She was white and I’m not,” he said. “That’s what I thought. What other reason could it be?”

“They’ve given him every reason in the book,” said Leslie Liddle-Stamper, president of the WSU employees union. “‘You’re overqualified. You’re underqualified.”’

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Photo