Motel franchisee accused of racial bias, filthy practices
Talk about airing someone’s dirty laundry. After finding out what the linens have been through at this hotel, Tampa-area travelers are bound to seek accommodations elsewhere.
In a lawsuit filed July 30 in Hillsborough Circuit Court in Tampa, FL, 12 former African-American employees of Days Inn franchisee Jamil Kassim have accused the business owner of racial discrimination — as well as giving some fairly repugnant housekeeping orders.
Lead plaintiff Charlena Williams and her former co-workers have accused Kassim and his managers of using racial slurs to describe them, making threats to fire them based on their race and, eventually, terminating them because they were African-American.
But it gets worse.
Williams said that after reporting that a guest had died in a bed, she was instructed to flip the mattress over — rather than replace it — so the next guest could check in.
The Huffington Post reported that Florida law mandates that any bedding “unfit for use” should be changed.
Safety violations
In addition to the discrimination charges, the lawsuit claims the hotel didn’t use proper health and safety measures to clean blood, vomit and other fluids from the room where the body was found.
This is not the first time Kassim, and his company, Stickbay Inc., have had to deal with accusations surrounding the body.
Williams previously filed a complaint with OSHA after the incident. OSHA then investigated and issued three citations to Stickbay related to having employees handle “contaminated” linens and towels, and failing to make hepatitis B vaccines available to those exposed to the deceased patron.
As a result, Stickbay was assessed $13,685 in penalties, The Tampa Bay Times reported.
