Wong, who worked as vice president of strategic marketing at Lumentum, said he was passed over for promotions in favour of white candidates and endured racist insults, according to a complaint filed in California on June 30. — Image by Racool_studio on Freepik
An executive who says he was fired from a Silicon Valley tech company after complaining of anti-Asian discrimination is suing the company for US$20mil (RM92.14mil) in damages, according to a complaint.
Andre Wong, who worked as vice president of strategic marketing at Lumentum, said he was passed over for promotions in favour of white candidates and endured racist insults, according to a complaint filed in California on June 30.
Wong worked at the company for more than 20 years and had a lead role in developing 3D-sensing, facial recognition and autonomous vehicle technology, he told McClatchy News.
The company terminated him on Dec 9 after he spoke up about anti-Asian bias and co-founded an Asian Employee Resource Group for other workers, according to the complaint.
“After I was terminated, I was shocked,” he said. “I felt angry. ... I felt disappointment at the company.”
Lumentum, which is headquartered in San Jose, did not immediately respond to a request for comment from McClatchy News.
The complaint accuses Lumentum of having a “culture of prejudice” against Asian workers.
During one meeting, a white executive made a comment about a product failing at a factory in China by asking, “Are they steaming rice in that section of the production floor?” the complaint says.
Another senior white manager banned employees from speaking Mandarin in the office, the complaint says.
Before one board meeting where Wong was scheduled to give a presentation, a white executive told him that he wasn’t pronouncing the “r” correctly in the word “program,” the complaint says.
Wong, who is a native English speaker, said he was insulted by the comment and found it difficult to concentrate on the important aspects of his presentation.
The complaint also says though Asian workers are “valued” for factory positions or working in technical and operational roles, they are underrepresented at the executive level.
While Asian workers make up 50% of professional positions in the tech industry, only 36% of those at the managerial level are Asian, according to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
Wong said he wanted to take action against the company to honour his ancestors, who faced severe discrimination.
Wong, who was born in Canada, said his great-uncle moved to the country from China during a time when Chinese immigrants were subjected to a “head tax,” a large fee charged to each person entering Canada from China. The country outlawed Chinese immigration in 1923 until the law was repealed in 1947.
“We have to stand up for our own rights now,” he said. “If we don’t do that, then the suffering of our previous ancestors is all for nothing.”
He also said he hopes his two sons won’t have to endure the same type of discrimination he has when they enter the workforce.
The lawsuit seeks US$20mil (RM92.14mil) in damages in addition to an injunction prohibiting Lumentum from firing any employee based on their race, according to the lawsuit.
Wong says he plans to use any money won from the lawsuit to help advance other Asian civil rights causes. – The Charlotte Observer/Tribune News Service
