korean workers file discrimination suit... against korean owners

In New Jersey, two former employees of Southpole, a hip hip fashion clothing company, filed a lawsuit claiming the company discriminates against Korean workers. Thomas Pyo and Tae Wook Rim says they and other Korean employees were forced to work long hours without overtime pay, while non-Koreans were encouraged to work regular hours: Discrimination suit filed against clothing maker.

According to the lawsuit, the discrimination was either "policy" or "practice" at the company, where 90 percent of the 300 employees were of "Korean national origin." The kicker: the company was founded by two Korean brothers. The defendants in the suit are David Khym and Wicked Fashions Inc., which does business as Southpole.

The suit accuses them of violating the federal Civil Rights Act, New Jersey’s anti-discrimination law, and the federal overtime wage laws. Pyo and Rim seek damages and legal costs, and the suit seeks class action status, saying there could be more than 500 workers with similar claims against the company.