You speak about vengeance.
A Latest Jersey school groundskeeper is suing the district where he works, alleging his bosses only promote employees with Italian last names.
Brian Taylor said the Wayne Township Public School District rolled right past him for better-paying jobs despite a long time of “superior” performance, in line with court papers cited by nj.com.
Taylor alleges his managers promoted two men of Italian heritage while he got bumped to a lower-paying gig, in line with the lawsuit filed Sept. 9 in Superior Court of Passaic County.
“[The district] was either oblivious to this nepotism or just didn’t care,” the suit states.
Taylor — who earns $57,676 annually and has worked for the district for 27 years — then got a suggestion he couldn’t refuse.
In accordance with the lawsuit, he was involuntarily moved in September 2019 to a custodian position that didn’t allow for as much time beyond regulation, while his groundskeeping job was handed over to a supervisor’s brother-in-law from Italy.
“[He] helped various relatives of his minions get jobs with the district, akin to wives, children, a brother-in-law and a god son,” the suit states, adding the relatives all had Italian surnames.
When Taylor’s union rep filed a criticism in regards to the transfer — and he got back his groundskeeping job in June 2021 — the district allegedly exacted its own revenge.
“[He] suffered the intended harsh sting of retaliation and discrimination,” in line with the suit.
The suit alleges the college district violated the Latest Jersey Conscientious Worker Protection Act by retaliating after Taylor’s discrimination criticism. He’s in search of an unspecified amount for the resulting mental distress and humiliation.
The board of education’s attorney, John Geppert Jr., denied any discrimination.
“The Wayne Board of Education vigorously disputes all allegations made by Mr. Taylor and appears forward to presenting the district’s case in court,” Geppert told nj.com. “The district’s administrators and the board of education have all the time acted appropriately and in full compliance with all laws on this matter.”
The town of Wayne, with a reported population of 54,717 five years ago, included 14,810 Italian Americans.