Tech giant Apple, Inc. is under fire for claims of racial discrimination by a current employee. Andrew Dupree, 31, alleges he was denied a managerial position because of the color of his skin. Dupree, a dedicated four-year employee, transferred from an Orlando Apple retail store to a store in Sydney, Australia in 2013. After increasing sales in the “Easy Pay Program,” an initiative designed to increase the amount of customers who come into the Apple stores and make purchases using their Apple devices, from 1.6 percent to 14 percent, Dupree wanted to transfer back to the U.S. for a promotion. His request was denied, and Apple fired him four months later.
Prior to filing the complaint, Dupree claims he tried to discuss the issue of discrimination with his superiors, to no avail. After his emails to Apple’s CEO Tim Cook, were ignored, Dupree was eventually granted a conference call with the company’s human resources department. He expressed how his Florida managers made racially insensitive remarks, saying “Black employees don’t reach management in this market.”
Despite being re-hired in December 2013, Dupree was denied a managerial position again, prompting his complaint with the Florida Commission on Human Relations. The lawsuit is now being investigated by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.