A popular outdoors retail chain is facing federal charges of racial discrimination after allegedly discriminating against current and prospective employees based on their race. According to the lawsuit, which was recently filed by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the retailer has been discriminating against minority job applicants since 2005, as well as retaliating against employees who filed a complaint with store management.

In the lawsuit, the EEOC accuses Bass Pro Outdoor World allegedly discriminating against African-American and Hispanic job applicants by refusing to hire them despite the fact that they were sufficiently qualified for retail store jobs. The employment lawsuit was filed after settlement talks between EEOC and Bass Pro executives broke down, and they failed to reach a settlement agreement.

The lawsuit claims that the alleged racial discrimination occurred at retail Bass Pro store locations in several states, including Texas, Louisiana, Indiana and Alabama. The complaint also claimed that retail store managers in several locations routinely made racially derogative comments about current and prospective African-American and Hispanic employees. There are two Bass Pro stores in California.

The outdoor goods retailer, which is based in Springfield, Missouri, has also been accused by the EEOC of failing to maintain or, in the alternative, intentionally destroying discrimination complaints from within the company or from applicants who believed that they were denied positions based on their race.

According to a spokeswoman for Bass Pro Outdoor World, the company has not yet reviewed the lawsuit, so the retailer has yet to comment on the suit and its allegations.

Source: Associated Press, "Outdoor retailer accused of racial discrimination," Sept. 21, 2011