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  1. #1
    Senior Member MyAmerica's Avatar
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    FL-Sikh USF Grad Who Allegedly Lacked 'Disney Look' Sues

    Sikh USF Grad Who Allegedly Lacked 'Disney Look' Sues
    Disney officials deny the discrimination claim and said the company respects diversity in its employees.

    By THOMAS W. KRAUSE | The Tampa Tribune

    Published: June 17, 2008

    TAMPA - A University of South Florida graduate has filed a $1 million lawsuit against Walt Disney World claiming he was fired from a job as a trumpeter and not rehired when he applied again because he is Sikh, wears a turban and does not meet the "Disney look."

    Disney officials denied the claim and said the company respects diversity in its employees.

    In October 2005, while still a student, Sukhbir Channa was hired as a Christmas seasonal employee at Walt Disney World, Channa states in his lawsuit. As part of his job, he played trumpet in a parade while wearing a toy soldier outfit that covered his head.

    As a second part of the job, musicians wore red berets and white pants for a musical performance. In late 2005 and early 2006, Disney officials let him wear a red turban instead of the beret, even giving him one of the berets so he could find a turban with a matching color, according to the suit.

    Channa said he practiced with the other musicians.

    When it came time for the performance, Channa claims in the suit, a manager decided he lacked "the Disney look." He was not allowed to play in front of an audience.

    Instead, Channa was relegated to menial duties such as carrying papers for the manager, the lawsuit states. He complained to human resources but was told he was not hired for the performance role.

    In 2006, the lawsuit states, he was fired for not having the "Disney look."

    In October 2006, he applied for the job again. The manager told him he was an excellent musician and had exceeded expectations while working for Disney the year before, he states in the suit. Channa was not hired because of the "look problem," according to the lawsuit.

    Two fellow employees wrote letters to the court, backing Channa's claims as to why he was fired and not rehired. In a meeting with the band, the manager told employees that he was dealing with Channa's facial hair issues, according to a letter from band member Nicole Daley.

    The lawsuit seeks class-action status and requests Disney officials to provide information about how many followers of the Sikh religion are employed with the company.

    Jacquee Polak, a Disney spokeswoman, confirmed that Channa worked for Disney during the 2005 Christmas season.

    "Mr. Channa never sought re-employment for the 2006 holiday season," she said. "His claim that he did and was denied employment is without merit."

    She declined to comment further on the lawsuit but said diversity is important to Disney.

    "We value and respect diversity in our cast members and treat each request for an accommodation individually," Polak said.

    The Sikh religion is about 500 years old and has 20 million followers worldwide, according to a Web site dedicated to the religion. Sikhism was founded in present-day Pakistan and northern India. Followers are noted for their "un-haircuts" kept under a turban, the site states.


    Reporter Thomas W. Krause can be reached at (813) 259-7698 or tkrause@tampatrib.com.

    http://www2.tbo.com/content/2008/jun/17 ... t-d/?imw=Y
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  2. #2
    Senior Member MyAmerica's Avatar
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    Read The Complaint
    http://media.tbo.com/tbo/pdfs/061708disney2.pdf

    Statements From Fellow Disney Employees
    http://media.tbo.com/tbo/pdfs/061708disney.pdf

    Numerous comments after the article.
    "Distrust and caution are the parents of security."
    Benjamin Franklin

    Join our efforts to Secure America's Borders and End Illegal Immigration by Joining ALIPAC's E-Mail Alerts network (CLICK HERE)

  3. #3
    Senior Member IndianaJones's Avatar
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    The comments after the article are good reading! LOL!!!
    We are NOT a nation of immigrants!

  4. #4
    Senior Member Doots's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by IndianaJones
    The comments after the article are good reading! LOL!!!
    Noticed that too.

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