Delta Beats Class Status in Baggage Handler Discrimination Case

Delta Air Lines Inc. won’t have to face a certified class of Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky International Airport baggage handlers alleging racial discrimination, a federal court said June 14.

Anecdotes by the six black named plaintiffs aren’t enough to establish that a common practice of discrimination existed, Judge William O. Bertelsman wrote for the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky.

The workers sought class status on behalf of 36 black part-time baggage handlers at the airport.

They allege that their manager and several supervisors engaged in systemic racial discrimination in disciplinary matters and work assignments, resulting in a disproportionately ...