Kmart is Sued for creating roadblocks for black suppliers.

Monday, February 7, 2005 at 05:21AM
TheSpook

The former director of Kmart's supplier diversity initiative is suing the discount retail chain, claiming the Troy-based company sabotaged its own minority vendor program, discriminated against African-American suppliers and then fired him for promoting diversity. Richard L. Cozart, 45, of Southfield alleges that Kmart Holding Corp. blocked his efforts to create a more diverse supplier base, according to a lawsuit filed Jan. 19 in Oakland County Circuit Court. Cozart, who is African-American, claims Kmart unfairly terminated him last summer for doing his job, despite receiving positive performance evaluations.  Joining Cozart as plaintiffs in the lawsuit are more than a half-dozen former Kmart vendors from Detroit, Troy, Grand Rapids, Kansas City, Mo., Chicago and Atlanta. The African-American plaintiffs allege Kmart required certification that it didn't enforce with other vendors and created unfair obstacles, promising them business only to renege at the last minute. Kmart has been dogged by complaints of racial discrimination in the past. Last year, the NAACP gave Kmart a D rating for work force diversity and its relationship with African-American suppliers, the suit says. Also, African-American shoppers have boycotted its stores. [more]

Article originally appeared on (http://brownwatch.com/).