A racial discrimination lawsuit filed against Woodward Governor Co. has now been as a class-action lawsuit. The ruling, issued by Judge Philip Reinhard, opens the case to at least 117 current and former minority workers at the Loves Park-based fuel control manufacturer. "This is a very significant junction," said Jennifer Soule, lead attorney for the 16 plaintiffs who originally brought the suit. "Because it's been certified as a class action, the plaintiffs can potentially obtain relief on behalf of all African Americans, Hispanics and Asians who have worked for the company for a number of years."
The lawsuit, which was filed in May 2003 in U.S. District Court in Rockford, alleges that 14 blacks, one Hispanic and one Asian were intentionally discriminated against by Woodward because of their race. The suit also claims that Woodward has a racially hostile work environment and a racial composition less than the overall work force of Winnebago County.

In a briefing filed with the court, Soule said Woodward's pay records as of May 2001 had been analyzed by Thomas DiPrete, a sociology professor at Duke University, revealing that whites were paid more than blacks in certain job classifications. "It's not one person's word against another person's word," Soule said in an interview. "We have found a statistically significant difference between the compensation of whites and nonwhites.”

Soule said that because of Reinhard’s ruling, the suit is now open to any minority who worked at Woodward from four years before the lawsuit to the present. She said notices would be sent in the near future detailing ways in which eligible employees could either join the lawsuit or opt out.

The suit seeks total monetary damages in excess of $1 million, but Reinhard ruled that individual amounts would be decided on an individual basis, determined by circumstances.