Lawsuit filed against 24-hour fitness for racial, gender discrimination

 

[caption id="attachment_6526" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Judge's tools"][/caption]

LOS ANGELES, Editor GHN/PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- 24-Hour Fitness now faces a class action lawsuit filed by representatives of Latino, African American, Asian American and Female Plaintiffs alleging discrimination.

This major physical fitness chain, seen in almost every American city, has been hit with a lawsuit filed by MALDEF and the law firm of Lewis, Feinberg, Lee, Renaker & Jackson, P.C. who announced that they filed a class action law suit on behalf of employees of 24 Hour Fitness USA, Inc. alleging discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin and gender. The lawsuit, Fulcher v. 24 Hour Fitness, was filed in Alameda County Superior Court.

It is argued by the plaintiffs that they suffered discrimination by not having the same level of opportunities for promotions to management positions nor equal compensation.  This is in violation of the California Fair Employment and Housing Act and the California Business and Profession Code.

 "24 Hour Fitness must exercise fair employment practices to ensure that all hardworking employees have the opportunity to advance without regard to race, national origin, or gender. This class action lawsuit seeks to ensure that 24 Hour Fitness gets its employment practices in shape, consistent with longstanding California law,"‬ saidThomas A. Saenz, MALDEF President and General Counsel, in reference to the filing.

These are some of the accounts that the attorneys are using as examples of discrimination.

Lead plaintiff Raoul Fulcher Jr., who felt he was passed over for promotions because he is African American, said: "I am a competitor and I strive to be my best, but at 24 Hour Fitness that is not recognized."

"At the Concord club, I was the only Latino Membership Counselor. I did everything I could to reach out to our Spanish-speaking membership, and yet I could not get a fair shake and the promotion I deserved," said plaintiff Richard Lopez.

"My work at the company was so valued that my Regional Vice President personally came to my club to give me a promotion, and yet after that, even though I hit and exceeded sales goals, I was denied any further promotion," stated plaintiff Rebecca Mason.

"24 Hour Fitness promises customers a family fitness environment. But, 24 Hour Fitness does not treat its minority and women employees as part of the family. Qualified, experienced minorities and women work lower level jobs, but don't get a chance at management jobs. Breaking the promise of equal opportunity is against the law." says Bill Lann Lee, attorney from co-counsel law firm Lewis, Feinberg, Lee, Renaker & Jackson, in reference to these issues.

24 Hour Fitness, a privately held fitness club, has the largest gym membership in the world. Of the 400 fitness centers the company has established in the United States, approximately 200 fitness clubs are located in California, where they employ approximately 10,000 individuals.

This class action lawsuit challenges 24 Hour Fitness's improper patterns and practices of discrimination against its minority and female employees seeking promotion to managerial jobs and equal compensation in California. The suit asks the court to order 24 Hour Fitness to end its discriminatory employment practices and to provide back pay and damages to the employees who have been treated unfairly.