A Delta Air Lines flight attendant manager who had worked up the ranks after starting as a gate agent at New York JFK Airport says she was threatened with termination and eventually fired after she wore a Palestine solidarity bracelet.
Clarissa Mohammed had been working for Delta since 2009, but a new lawsuit alleges that her career with the Atlanta-based airline quickly began crashing down around her last November after her boss spotted her wearing the disputed bracelet.
Mohammed describes herself as a Muslim of Trinidadian descent who successfully became a Delta flight attendant before earning a promotion to a so-called ‘Field Service Manager’ which oversees flight attendant issues.
But almost immediately after starting in her new role in 2022, Clarissa says other FSMs began to harass and bully her, using racist food names to address Clarissa, such as ‘curry chicken’ and ‘goat roti.’
One of her colleagues would “laugh uncontrollably” whenever she made discriminatory comments towards Clarissa and would encourage other FSMs to take part in the conduct.
In one incident, an FSM even pulled Clarissa’s hair and then claimed that she was just seeing whether Clarissa had coconut oil in her hair. This proved to be the final straw for Clarissa, who reported the conduct to her boss just four months after starting her new job.
Clarissa’s boss, however, would often use antiquated Russian words to describe Clarissa, using words that translate to the intimate form of ‘mother’ or ‘priest’s wife.’ Names that Clarissa found disrespectful and unprofessional.
Her boss did, at least, investigate, but nothing came of Clarissa’s complaints, and the incessant name-calling continued as before.
Following the October 7, 2023, Hamas terror attack on Israel, things got even worse as even Clarissa’s boss started to mock her last name. Then, as Israel started to bomb Gaza, Clarissa began to wear a Palestine solidarity bracelet.
Clarissa was quickly reprimanded for wearing the bracelet and threatened with termination if she didn’t remove it. Just weeks later, Clarissa was suspended without pay, and in January, she was fired.
The lawsuit, filed in a New York district court last week, accuses Delta of a slew of offenses, including retaliation, creating a hostile work environment, and discrimination.
Earlier this year, Delta was slammed for quickly changing its uniform policy, banning flight attendants and other uniform wearers from wearing Palestine flag pins after a photo of a crew member sporting one of the badges on a flight to West Palm Beach went viral.
Amidst allegations of antisemitism, Delta moved to bar workers from wearing any other flag pin badge apart from the US flag.
Clarissa says that before she was terminated, Delta did not take any action against employees who displayed support for Israel by wearing Israeli flag pins. Following the change in uniform policy in July, these flag pins are also banned.
Company can, and will, do what it wants (primarily to protect its bottom line). If they choose to not allow certain non-uniform items, ummmm.. that’s part of the job.
If your social “cause” is enough of a hill for you to die on, I’d recommend updating your resume before doing so.
You’re 100% correct Robert. These Flags/Badges/Emblems from whatever cause should be kept away from any uniform. Wear them on your downtime at home.
Insists on holding a lightning rod but is surprised when struck by lightning.
They were ok with the jewish pin now they have a lawsuit up their asses and they want to change the rules why didn’t they change it then? Why didn’t they ask the ones wearing the jewish pin to removed theirs?