A truck driver is suing his former employer after they fired him for refusing to wear a “buzz cut” hairstyle.
26-year-old Drew Harvey was fired in June after working for TMC Transportation as a flatbed truck driver for just one month out of Des Moines, Iowa. In July, he filed a civil rights complaint against the company. As of September 26th, Harvey has filed a lawsuit against the company, alleging that he was told his long hair was a “safety issue,” despite other employees being allowed to wear their hair long.
According to Des Moines Register , the suit alleges that other employees were allowed to wear their hair long, and were even featured on the company’s social media. Harvey’s attorney, Ben Lynch, has helped other black men with similar allegations against TMC.
Harvey claims that his hair has spiritual and emotional significance to him, and that he has not cut it since his father passed away four years ago.
TMC did not respond to Harvey’s civil rights claim, which is why he is pursuing the lawsuit. The suit alleges racial discrimination by TMC, and seeks unspecified damages.