Employee speaks against harassment Disabled man names BIW in lawsuit

BATH – A Bath Iron Works employee who filed a disability discrimination lawsuit against the shipyard says he endured years of on-the-job beatings and verbal harassment from co-workers.

Speaking publicly about his case for the first time, Brian Farrington, 38, of Minot painted a portrait of a hostile work environment at BIW’s East Brunswick manufacturing plant, where he worked as a tinsmith.

Farrington said Thursday he was beaten with sticks and pipes in front of supervisors on a daily basis, was called “retard, dumb, stupid and loser” by one of his supervisors, and was depicted in degrading pictures posted around the plant.

“I’m a human being. I deserve to be treated like a human being,” said Farrington, who has been diagnosed as being mildly mentally disabled. In court documents, doctors described him as having a reading ability equivalent to that of a third- to sixth-grader.

Farrington’s lawsuit, filed Nov. 16 in U.S. District Court, alleges that BIW allowed him to be subjected to constant abuse as a result of his mental disability, in violation of the Americans With Disabilities Act and the Maine Human Rights Act.

The complaint alleges that his supervisors “not only tolerated, but encouraged and at times participated in the harassment.” Named in the suit are four supervisors: Steve Allen, Brian LeClair, Bob Lally and Rene Beliveau.

Allen, reached at his home Thursday, declined to comment on Farrington’s allegations. The three other supervisors could not be reached for comment. BIW officials declined comment on the case.

Farrington’s attorney, Jeffrey Young, said his client decided to speak out after BIW refused to settle the matter out of court. Young said the case likely will go before a jury late next year.

Farrington said he went public because he does not want others who are mentally disabled to be abused.

In one instance, Farrington claims that a co-worker shook a toilet plunger in his face, covering him with feces. He said his supervisor laughed and did not give him a chance to clean up. On another occasion, he burned his fingers and sought help from a supervisor who gave him a cream that turned out to be Super Glue.

“I crawl out of my bed every day and fear for my job,” said Farrington. “I pray to God that no one has to go through what this company put me through. How much can a person endure? All I want is to go to work and do my job. I like my job.”

Farrington, who has been transferred to the main shipyard in Bath, said the harassment continues even though the physical abuse has stopped.