COLUMBUS, Ga. (WTVM) – Truck drivers who deliver food to Fort Benning held a protest Monday outside the SpartanNash distribution center in Columbus, saying a recent policy change bars them from using indoor restrooms and amounts to racial discrimination.
The protest was organized by the Teamsters union on March 16. Union and driver representatives say the new policy prohibits drivers — who are predominantly African American — from entering the building to use the restroom, while the company’s internal workforce is described as predominantly white. SpartanNash has placed portable toilets outside for driver use.
Drivers cite hygiene concerns
One driver said that because workers are exposed to diesel fuel and handle food, access only to outdoor portable toilets does not provide adequate cleaning facilities.
Donnie Wilson, a SpartanNash truck driver, said the policy affects how he feels at work…