LDF Sues Makers of Kent Cigarettes for Job Bias

Press Release
August 6, 1966

LDF Sues Makers of Kent Cigarettes for Job Bias preview

Cite this item

  • Press Releases, Volume 4. LDF Sues Makers of Kent Cigarettes for Job Bias, 1966. 3109101b-b792-ee11-be37-00224827e97b. LDF Archives, Thurgood Marshall Institute. https://ldfrecollection.org/archives/archives-search/archives-item/4f6e865f-145a-47bb-97c6-b18501fffd04/ldf-sues-makers-of-kent-cigarettes-for-job-bias. Accessed June 01, 2025.

    Copied!

    10 Columbus Circle 2 
New York, N.Y. 10019 z 
JUdson 6-8397 

NAACP 

ee Defense and Educational ya tind 
PRESS RELEASE ; 

NS
 

4 jh By President Pe " > to, 

f Hon. Francis E. Rivers pans 
a Director-Counsel FOR, RELEASE» . 

am Jack Greenberg SATURDAY 
August 6," a 

rs 

LDF SUES MAKERS OF 
KENT CIGARETTES 
FOR JOB BIAS 

GREENSBORO, N. C.---The NAACP Legal Defense Fund this week filed 

suit, in behalf of Negro women employees, against the P. Lorillard 

Company (Kent Cigarettes). 

The request for a permanent injunction due to alleged 

discriminatory practices, was also filed against the TobaccoWorkers 

International AFL-CIO and the Tobacco Workers International Union, 

AFL-CIO, Local 317. 

Suit was filed in the U. S. District Court for the Middle 

District of North Carolina. 

Negro employees, the Legal Defense Fund's complaint 

asserts, "Have been hired for menial and low paying jobs solely 

on basis of race and color. 

Matters regarding salary, terms of employment conditions 

and privileges “have been governed and controlled by collective 

bargaining agreements entered into by defendants P, Lorillard 

and the Union," the complaint asserts. 

Following discussions with the President's Committee on 

Equal Job Opportunities, P. Lorillard instituted department seniority 

provisions dividing employees into nine different job categories. 

If Negroes leave the blending and services department, 

which attorneys describe as being “one step above sweeping," they 

lose seniority, hence theyare confined to the same positions. 

The Legal Defense Fund suit followed a complaint with 

the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission under Title VIL of. the 

1966 Civil Rights Act. 

poas) 
SGete 

Jesse DeVore, Jr., Director of Public Information—Night Number 212 Riverside 9-8487 Sa

Copyright notice

© NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc.

This collection and the tools to navigate it (the “Collection”) are available to the public for general educational and research purposes, as well as to preserve and contextualize the history of the content and materials it contains (the “Materials”). Like other archival collections, such as those found in libraries, LDF owns the physical source Materials that have been digitized for the Collection; however, LDF does not own the underlying copyright or other rights in all items and there are limits on how you can use the Materials. By accessing and using the Material, you acknowledge your agreement to the Terms. If you do not agree, please do not use the Materials.


Additional info

To the extent that LDF includes information about the Materials’ origins or ownership or provides summaries or transcripts of original source Materials, LDF does not warrant or guarantee the accuracy of such information, transcripts or summaries, and shall not be responsible for any inaccuracies.

Return to top