Dallas, TX – Two former employees of one of the world’s largest metal companies claim they were fired, at least in part, because they are Jewish.
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Mark Chazanow and Mark Wayne, former managers at Commercial Metals Company, have filed charges with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in the wake of their abrupt dismissal by CMC and following a lawsuit accusing the men of fraud and racketeering.
The men say Commercial Metals has engaged in blatant religious discrimination based on what they believe to be the systematic dismissal of Jewish employees by a new management team at the Irving, Texas-based company.
However, the allegations come on the heels of a sprawling civil lawsuit filed by CMC against Chazanow, Wayne and a third former employee, Michael Uhrick. Defense attorneys for the trio claim the EEOC filing and the lawsuit are unrelated, but point to a possible pattern of overall mismanagement within Commercial Metals.
“The company’s new management is destroying the reputations of these three hard-working family men, we think, to hide some big problems within the company,” says Michael Hurst, a partner at Gruber Hurst Johansen & Hail LLC. “They are being used as scapegoats.”
The federal lawsuit alleges wire fraud, breach of contract and racketeering. Chazanow, Wayne and Uhrick had been rising stars in the company after a $25 million acquisition of their previous employer, Yonack Iron & Metal Company. CMC now alleges the trio conspired to steer business to MI-3 Transport, a trucking company in which the men’s wives have part ownership, and allegedly overcharged CMC for services provided by MI-3. Chazanow, Uhrick, and Wayne fervently deny those charges.
GHJH attorneys claim there is no evidence showing MI-3 Transport “overbilled” CMC and point to the fact that CMC continued doing business with the trucking company even after accusing the three men of wrongdoing.
“Another suspicious thing about these charges,” says Hurst, “is the timing. This lawsuit was filed just two weeks prior to the expiration of Mr. Uhrick’s non-compete agreement, and just a few months after a complete change in management within the company.”
Commercial Metals was founded in 1915 by prominent Jewish entrepreneur Moses Feldman and later run by his son Jacob. It is now a multi-billion dollar global leader in manufacturing, processing and distribution of steel products and raw materials.
…Whenever Jewish employees are discriminated against at their place of employment, it’s cloaked in company policy. The most common complaint is that they are inefficient or their attendance record is poor. I know of a certain trade magazine (which I receive monthly in the mail) that was started in New York City by Jewish business people (about a Century ago), where you won’t see a single Jewish-sounding name. It’s now published in Maryland and ALL the names on the masthead are of good, ehrliche non-Jewish names. Except for one freelance writer, who is a master at writing a [monthly] column, and after reading it you haven’t gained one iota of useful information! A major company doing business in NYC, recently settled a multi-Million Dollar lawsuit brought by some employees who belong to the same Ethnic group, who claim they were discriminated against in promotions and layoffs. Rarely, if ever do we hear about Jewish employees who successfully bring a lawsuit about discrimination!!!
I don’t get it… the only yidden I have ever fired (and there have been quite a few) were people who didn’t show up to work when they were supposed to, made all kinds of excuses for being late, and expected the company to accommodate every ridiculous request they had.
Companies are supposed to (at least here in FL) have a book that outlines the major company policies. If you violate the policies, you get fired. It is as simple as that. That includes conflict of interest. In my company, if I used a supplier that I had a personal relationship with and did not disclose it immediately, I would be fired…. and rightfully so.