Union says STA report clearing HR director is ‘deeply troubling’

The president of the union representing workers at Spokane Transit Authority said a report clearing the agency’s human resources director of wrongdoing is “deeply troubling as an indication of STA’s lack of understanding of systemic racism and the critical importance of protecting the civil rights of its workers and the public.”

At question is a Facebook post made by Nancy Williams in which she described as “despicable animals” four African-Americans who attacked a developmentally disabled man.

An investigative report released Wednesday by STA cleared Williams and said her post did not “tend to reflect racist beliefs.”

Thomas Leighty, the union’s president, said he would refer the union’s complaint to the Federal Transit Agency’s Office of Civil Rights.