African American employees who work as managers for the Sodexho Marriott corporation have brought a class action against the food service industry giant, alleging racial discrimination in the company's promotion process. The managers claim that the company has systematically blocked the promotions of African-Americans and that the managers have been facing a "glass ceiling as well as a glass wall" since they have been given mostly dead-end "black" accounts that serve and are supervised mostly by African-American managers. They also claim that the company had no black managers in many of its divisions, and that Sodexho allegedly allowed employees to use racial slurs without penalty.

The plaintiffs are seeking damages for this alleged discrimination, which, according to Sodexho, could approach one billion dollars. Attorneys for the managers claim this figure is off-base and that they are claiming no specific amount of damages.

The class of managers was certified by the court in July, 2002. Sodexho in response filed an appeal of the ruling, which was denied. On October 6, 2003, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear the case, allowing the ruling to stand. This, in and of itself, is a major victory for the managers. Historically, many large companies such as Shoney's, Coca-Cola and Texaco have settled racial discrimination cases after class action certification has been achieved. However, a Sodexho spokesman, calling the allegations "demonstrably false," stated that the company is fully prepared to present its side of the story and is convinced that upon doing so it will be evident that Sodexho does not discriminate against African-Americans.