African American woman says Waste Management fired her because of race

HOUSTON - After she was allegedly fired from Waste Management for complaining about racial discrimination, Houston resident Angelia M. Osborne pursues legal action.

Recent court documents filed Aug. 28 in the Southern District of Texas, Houston Division state that Osborne, an African American woman, lost her job as a strategic sourcing manager with the defendant "because she reported her disparate and mistreatment to the defendant’s human resource personnel."

Osborne was hired by WM on Jan. 4, 2010, and her primary responsibility was to manage fuel and container categories.

She was the lone black female at her position at the time.

The original petition explains that the plaintiff first experienced mistreatment due to her race when she attempted to sign up for a training seminar she thought would be beneficial to her job duties, stating her supervisor denied her the opportunity while approving the same request from a Caucasian colleague.

It adds Osborne was reassigned to a position which apparently required the training she did not get, and though she completed all of her assigned duties and responsibilities, "she was consistently maligned."

The suit further asserts she was not provided a copy of her annual review and her superiors would "simply" ignore as well as ridicule her in vital group meetings.

She was also supposedly forced out of her office while she was on funeral leave.

Osborne reported her experiences to the HR department, but "was terminated due to a reduction in force" on July 18, 2011, though WM was in search of a procurement manager and two buyers, the suit says.

A jury trial is requested.

Attorney Stanley B. Broussard with the Law Office of Stanley B. Broussard in Houston is representing Osborne.

Case No. 4:12-cv-2589