The District of Columbia hired offshore firm Infosys to build its Healthcare Exchange. The company, which is based out of India, brought in H-1B visa holders to work on the massive healthcare project. As alleged in a federal lawsuit, only three of the 100 Infosys employees working on the project were American.
Layla Bolten, one of the Plaintiffs in a lawsuit filed against Infosys, has worked in IT since 1996. She holds a degree in computer science and is an experienced tester. As described in this article, Bolten’s suit alleges that her supervisors excluded her from workplace conversations by speaking Hindi, she was harassed because she is not Indian, and workers with less experience were promoted over her. According to Bolten, it was this hostile work environment that led her to quit her job.
According to the lawsuit, the majority of Infosys’ workforce, “roughly 90%,” is South Asian. A number that could indicate intentional employment discrimination.
While the Plaintiffs in this action make a claim of discrimination based on national origin, discrimination based on an individual’s race, age and sex is a major criticism of the H-1B visa program.
If you or someone you know thinks they have experienced employment discrimination due to race or national origin the team at Radford & Keebaugh can help. Contact us by phone at (678) 369-3609 or use our contact form.