A white truck driver for the city of Englewood, N.J., has filed a discrimination lawsuit, charging that his supervisor repeatedly insulted him with racial slurs. John Cioffi alleges that his supervisor, Danette Adams, who is black, called him a “white boy,” and “a dumb white piece of trash.” After a city lawn mower broke down, Cioffi says, Adams remarked, “Leave it to a dumb white guy to get a mower stuck on a curb.” Cioffi is seeking damages for emotional distress, as well as for pain and suffering.
Palm Beach Community College in Florida has angered gay-rights groups by extending health benefits to cover employees’ pets but not their “domestic partners.” College employees can now get a discount on health insurance for their dog, cat, hedgehog, frog, guinea pig, or gecko. Yet a plan to extend health coverage to employees’ live-in partners was rejected in August. “Many pet owners consider their dogs and cats part of their families,” said Deirdre Newton of the Palm Beach Human Rights Council, “but there is a basic disconnect when an employer will insure an employee’s pet but not an employee’s partner.”
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
What's wrong with America's air traffic control systems?Today's Big Question The radios and radar keep going out at Newark International
-
8 splashy items to elevate any pool partyThe Week Recommends Fire up the snow cone machine, and turn on that outdoor movie projector
-
What to know as student loan collections resumethe explainer The restart comes as part of the Trump administration's reversal of Biden-era policies
