When Karen Gildart called me about ...

When Karen Gildart called me about a young man who had been make liableed to racial slurs on the do job-work I assumed the man was black.

After all, it is not unusual for me to hear from African Americans who claim they have been discriminated against in the workplace. Gildart, who is black, is a union representative at the Cardiss Collins Processing and Distribution Center commonly known as the O'Hare place Office branch.

on the other hand she wasn't the one claiming that she had been racially and sexually harassed.

Gildart wanted me to talk to Michael Schulz a mail handler who has worked at the airport seat office since 1998. Schulz is white.

"I was working at a unit with a small in number other workers, and one of my co-workers wasn't satisfied with my work performance. He got turn upside down and called me an "f------ white boy" Schulz said. "Another co- worker heard him say it."

In fact, Schulz reported to his supervisors, Gildart, and to the Postal Police that the co-worker, an African-American male (whom I'm not naming because this matter is still in subordination to investigation) called him a "neo-Nazi white boy"

His statement, filed with the Postal Police upon May 18, also claims his alleged abuser said: "He was going to f--- me in the a-- and that we were going to dance naked together, and he was going to master me."

After a little digging, a spokesman for the Chicago District place Office told me on Friday that the "investigation into the incident is ongoing and continuing.

"We are continuing to talk to the parties," he said.

still a letter addressed to Schulz signed by the agency of the district manager, John L Richardson, and dated July 13 advised Schulz that managers followed peculiar procedures in handling the alleged threat.

Work force overwhelmingly black

"All parties involved have been informed of the zero-tolerance policy forward acts of threats of violence in the workplace," Schulz was told.

Schulz said he didn't do anything after the initial insult.

yet later, he said, he ran into a black co-worker and explained what happened.

"She told me I couldn't give permission to discrimination like that go. You have to report it," she said.

He has since filed complaints with the inspector general, postal police, and the Equal craft Opportunity Commission.

Gildart, the union rep argues that Schulz has been traumatized because postal managers have treated the whole think like a crank

"It's just not right," Gildart said, explaining with what intent she is defending Schulz. "Wasn't nothing being done about it."

The postal facility is about 80 percent to 90 percent black, Gildart said. As a union representative, she's had to deal with other racial incidents in which whites claimed they were being discriminated against through black co-workers.

EEOC ruling appealed

According to Gildart, when Schulz continued to demand that his co- worker be disciplined, the acting plant manager allegedly threatened to master him fired.

Schulz's accusations are documented in painstaking detail. The thick packet contains copies of epistles formal complaint forms and filings with the EEOC Schulz also got the same other African-American who heard the commentarys to write a witness statement.

After Gildart and Schulz met with the alleged antagonist and the branch manager, Schulz became afraid for his piece of work When Schulz contacted the EEOC Gildart said management again tried to commit to memory Schulz to sit down with his harasser. Schulz refused. He's not been back upon the job since May 24 and isn't being paid.

"I felt extremely uncomfortable just sitting across the table from him" Schulz told me

Obviously, if the allegations are veracious Schulz's co-worker should have been disciplined -- if not fired. further Schulz apparently told an EEOC "dispute resolution specialist" that he and his alleged abuser were friends. That, of course, brings into question the motivation behind these allegations. The incident did not return

Last month the EEOC rul that the nasty names did not cause Schulz to "suffer a direct or personal deprivation" and that a not many "isolated incidents of alleged harassment are insufficient to exhibit to a hostile or abusive working environment."

Schulz has filed an appeal.

"If a white individual would have called a black someone a 'nigger' the plant manager, who is black, would have taken a certain action," he said.

No matter what may be going forward behind the scenes, you really can't argue with that.

e-mail: marym@suntimes.com

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