Racial Discrimination Lawsuit Filed Against Galewood Bakery

CHICAGO — A lawsuit filed in Chicago federal court earlier this month accuses West Side and Cicero bakeries of racial discrimination. The lawsuit, which is seeking class action status, claims that black people's job applications were dismissed in favor of Hispanic candidates.

The Cloverhill industrial baking factories in the Galewood neighborhood and in west suburban Cicero — which were owned by parent company Aryzta, LLC at the time of the allegations — are named in the suit.

The lawsuit claims that between 2014 and 2018, Arytza schemed with staffing companies to pass over black applicants.

The lawsuit is filed on behalf of Anthony Stewart, 59, of the Austin neighborhood. Stewart said he began applying for work at both the Cicero and Galewood factories starting in 2014, and said he continued to be rejected for three years despite his food and warehouse qualifications.

Stewart said that Hispanic applicants were sent to a separate staffing agency than black applicants. He claims he was never told about the other agency, and said many Hispanic workers who were sent to it would be hired immediately, even though black workers had been in the office longer.

At first, Stewart said he thought he was being rejected because of his age, but he said he realized young black applicants were also being passed over.

The lawsuit also claims that Aryzta used the staffing agencies to cover up the racial composition of its workforce. Government agencies analyze workforce composition to enforce anti-discrimination laws.

In an emailed statement, Aryzta said it can't comment on the specific allegations of the lawsuit because the company hasn't been served with the complaint.

"However, ARYZTA values diversity and treats all individuals with respect," the company said in the statement. "We are an equal opportunity employer and make all employment decisions on the basis of merit and business needs."

The Galewood bakery lost 800 workers last year in an immigration raid. The company said the raid led to a 7 percent decline in sales from North America over three months—a loss of about $21.6 million.

In February, Aryzta sold the Galewood bakery to Hostess Brands and the Cicero factory to Bimbo Bakeries.

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