Trucker is instructed to chop his hair ‘or be fired’ after firm claimed it was a security difficulty

A black man is suing an Iowa-based trucking firm, alleging he was fired as a driver as a result of he refused to chop his dreadlocks.

Drew Harvey, 26, accused TMC Transportation and two of its staff of racism in a lawsuit he filed on September 26.

Harvey utilized to be a flat-bed truck driver with the corporate on June 4, and he was set to start his orientation on June 24, in accordance with courtroom paperwork obtained by Folks.

The day after the orientation, Harvey was referred to as into a gathering with an HR consultant, in accordance with the criticism.

Harvey was allegedly instructed ‘he wanted to chop his hair’ ‘or be fired.’ The rationale given, in accordance with the lawsuit, was that his hair was a ‘security difficulty.’

In an interview with We Are Iowa, Harvey gave an inside look in how this assembly with HR went.

‘You’ve got been doing a splendid job,’ he recalled being instructed. ‘However you are going to have to chop your hair by Friday otherwise you’re not going to have the ability to proceed with the corporate.’

Harvey stated his supervisor instructed him it was firm coverage that staff wanted to have quick hair so that onerous hats would match correctly. 

Harvey claimed that this was the primary time he’d heard of the corporate having a selected coverage governing the hairstyles of its staff. 

To treatment the problem, Harvey stated within the lawsuit that he provided to trim or type his hair in a different way. 

The lawsuit additionally says he provided to put on his hair in a wrap or buy a distinct laborious hat in order that security would not be a problem.

The corporate allegedly rejected these proposals, which was when his employment was terminated, in accordance with the swimsuit.

Harvey, who traveled roughly six hours to the job from his residence in Crete, Illinois, to commute to the job was ‘despatched residence on a bus in tears.’

‘TMC’s coverage is racist and inconsistently enforced,’ Harvey’s criticism said.

Harvey believes this as a result of he alleges he noticed a number of different non-black staff, female and male, had lengthy hair and did not undergo any kind of reprisal from the corporate.

As such, the swimsuit stated this lengthy hair coverage was unfairly enforced, violating the Iowa Civil Rights Act. 

The lawsuit argues that Harvey will ‘undergo accidents and damages, together with however not restricted to emotional misery, misplaced wages, lack of advantages, lack of future earnings, and different emoluments of employment.’

Harvey is searching for an unspecified quantity in damages. 

Benjamin Lynch, Harvey’s legal professional, stated his consumer is at present looking for work.

‘That petition says that he actually cried on the best way residence,’ Lynch instructed Folks. ‘That may be a true assertion, that he was very upset by this. He drove six hours to return right here and he obtained canned on the second day due to his hair.’

He continued: ‘So he is upset. It is an actual factor and we’ve not actually gotten any decision on it as a result of I’ve simply but to listen to again from TMC. So it is troubling.’

Lynch claimed that over a dozen different former TMC staff have related complaints to Harvey.

‘So along with him [Harvey] wanting decision on his matter, he additionally needs to guarantee that one thing like this does not occur once more,’ Lynch stated.

DailyMail.com approached TMC for remark.