© CNN
A racial discrimination lawsuit filed against CNN currently has 175 cases in which current and former employees allege that the network committed racial discrimination. The suit alleges that CNN's Atlanta headquarters is a hotbed of racism.
Similar complaints were made against Fox in a suit that began in the controller's office and has since spread to the news division.
The complaint filed against CNN by former worker Celeslie Henley and current employee Ernest Colbert Jr. said minority employees had to endure remarks such as "It's hard to manage black people" and "Who would be worth more: black slaves from times past, or new slaves?"
Henley said that despite seven years of work for CNN, she was fired five days after contacting human resources about discriminatory treatment.
Colbert works for TBS and claims that he is underpaid compared to white peers.
The suit alleges that "salaries paid by Turner and/or CNN to African-American compared with salaries paid to Caucasian employees reveals dramatic differences in pay in similarly situated employees of different race. Upon information and belief, the pattern exists throughout the company."
"Furthermore, African-Americans are deterred away from filing grievances and complaints about mistreatment for fear of losing their jobs and being blacklisted from the only career they have maintained for decades," the suit also claimed.
"CNN has implemented formal written and unwritten policies and practices regarding promotions which do not allow or require open competition- through the posting of all positions- for positions higher than vice president, but allow 'management nomination,' which amounts to little more than word of mouth recommendations," the suit said.
The suit said this has led to minorities being under-represented in the top ranks of CNN.
"As a result, jobs are filled without being posted, candidates are handpicked in advance, and supervisors who make hiring decisions have implemented 'preferred qualifications' to mask the prejudicial preference in their candidate selection," wrote attorney Daniel Meachum in the complaint.
"Indeed, although African-Americans make up about 30-35 percent of the employees in the mid-level managerial and staffing positions, they are extremely under-represented at higher pay grades and senior positions," he wrote.
The suit, first filed in December 2016, has grown.
In a motion to amend the suit filed March 23, "Since the filing of this action, counsels for the plaintiffs have been contacted by more than 175 people, both former and current employees of the Defendant, requesting to be members of the putative class action, all having similar complaints of intentional racial discrimination, discrimination impact and discriminatory practices employed by the Defendants."
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