A gay employee at Caterpillar has sued the construction-equipment giant, alleging that his supervisor and colleagues subjected him to “abusive” treatment — including one colleague staging a song-and-dance routine of the Village People’s 1978 hit “Y.M.C.A.”
Shaun Goodson, a resident of Fulton County, Ark., stated in court papers filed last week that he was employed as a machine operator at Caterpillar’s Pomona, Mo. facility beginning in October 2020.
While working the overnight shift at the facility, Goodson alleged that his supervisor “was very condescending towards” him “to the point of becoming abusive.”
In October 2021, Goodson also alleged that a maintenance worker came into his work area and starting singing “Y.M.C.A.” by the Village People while “doing the dance commonly associated with that song,” according to court documents.
After the worker was done with his song-and-dance skit, he accosted Goodson and called him a “c–ksucker,” according to court papers.
Goodson is seeking unspecified damages.
The Post has sought comment from Caterpillar. An attorney for Goodson declined to comment when reached by The Post.
Goodson alleged in court papers that “he understood this maintenance worker’s behavior to be meant as intimidation or harassment on the basis of [his] sexual orientation.”
When Goodson complained about the alleged incident to human resources, Goodson was placed on one-week paid leave, according to court documents.
Just two days after returning from leave, Goodson alleged in court papers that he was suspended for three days for making a “minor error.”
Goodson also alleged in court documents that as he was about to drive to work on or around Oct. 22, 2021, he noticed that someone had written “QUIT OR DIE” on the side of his vehicle.
Goodson alleged in court papers that he filed police reports with authorities in Arkansas and Missouri, but those investigations were closed.
Court papers state that Caterpillar also investigated the incident but declined to take “any corrective action or safety measures” that would “protect [Goodson] from threats of physical harm while at work.”
Goodson decided to take leave as a result of the alleged threats, prompting Caterpillar to terminate his employment, according to court documents.
“It is unreasonable to believe that someone other than one of Caterpillar’s employees wrote the threat on [Goodson’s] car,” Goodson wrote in his complaint.
The supervisor, who is identified in court papers by the initials “J.F.,” would allegedly “scream” at Goodson “for seemingly insignificant issues” as well as “nitpick” and “belittle” his work, according to legal documents.
Goodson claims that in June 2021, he sent a text message to J.F. which is alleged to have read: “I know you are treating me this way because I am gay.”
According to court papers, the supervisor did not respond to the text.
When Goodson complained to Caterpillar’s human resources department about his supervisor’s alleged behavior, the HR rep is alleged to have responded that if he did not like working for him, “there’s the door,” according to court papers.
The “there’s the door” comment was “a reflection of Caterpillar’s position that it had no intention of correcting or disciplining” the supervisor’s “discriminatory behavior,” according to court documents.
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