HispanicBusiness

Hispanic employees of a Sam's Club in California are suing parent company Wal-Mart Stores Inc., charging that the management tolerated a workplace environment that subjected workers to verbal harassment and racial taunts, the Fresno Bee reports.

The federal lawsuit was filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on behalf of 10 employees in the Fresno store.

The suit, which was filed with the U.S. District Court in Fresno, alleges that management at the Sam's Club refused to discipline a co-worker who allegedly made racist remarks about the employees' Mexican heritage. The plaintiffs say most of the harassment occurred in 2006 and 2007.

Daphne Moore, a spokeswoman with Wal-Mart corporate headquarters in Arkansas, told the Bee that the company wants all "associates to be treated fairly."

"We work hard to make sure they feel respected and valued in the workplace," she said.