14-05-2025
Chicago Department of Transportation worker says she was subjected to repeated racial, gender harassment
A Chicago Department of Transportation worker is suing her employer, claiming she was harassed on the job because of her race and gender.
She also said some of the harassment was violent, and happened while she was pregnant.
For more than a year, Danyiell Montgomery dreaded clocking in for work at the city garage where she was employed — yet she said she showed up on time, despite what she called racial and gender discrimination daily on the job.
Montgomery said a fellow CDOT worker even threatened her with a gun on the job — with no repercussions from the city.
Montgomery has spent the past decade working for CDOT.
"When the finishers, or the person that runs the truck pours the concrete out, I grade the concrete. I help move the stakes," she said.
It was back in May 2023 when she was transferred that Montgomery said her time with CDOT became unbearable.
"I would walk out of my house crying with headaches every day. My chest was tightened," Montgomery said. "At the time, I think I was like 11 weeks pregnant."
The 15-page lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court accuses the City of Chicago of failing to protect and investigate what Montgomery called workplace harassment for being a woman, Black, and pregnant.
"It took me a while to actually say something," Montgomery said.
The lawsuit said one coworker targeted her, and "the Department took no action to stop the behavior."
For weeks, the worker called Montgomery racial epithets and slurs in front of supervisors and coworkers, according to court papers:
"What is a pregnant woman doing here?"
"We don't need no lazy woman here. Get her out of here."
"Why the f*** is she still here?"
"Don't you have a husband or something?"
"Black women and their f****** attitudes."
"All you Black m*****f*****s and your attitudes."
"We don't need my disable mother f***** working here not contributing to
the work site."
Despite filing grievances and requesting to move to a new crew, Montgomery said her requests were denied.
"I see you could have changed my site, but you didn't, because this guy was your friend," she said.
But the biggest problem came when Montgomery said her coworker threatened her with a gun when she finally defended herself.
"He pulled his shirt up and said, 'I keep it on me for people like you,' I said, 'For people like who?' And I'm going to be honest. At that point, I started shaking," Montgomery said. "I started shaking, I started crying, because yes, I'm Black, but I've never had nobody pull a gun on me."
The suit said, "Even after brandishing a gun, the individual was allowed to continue to work next to Ms. Montgomery."
"I believe the biggest things in this case were the slurs," said attorney Chiquita Hall-Jackson.
Hall-Jackson said in 2025, people do not go around blatantly using slurs in public. She said it points to ongoing problems with CDOT.
"That's what we're asking the city do," she said, "that they go in and actually clean house in each department."
CDOT said in a statement: "While we cannot comment on pending litigation, the Chicago Department of Transportation takes any claims of discrimination and harassment seriously. Please refer any legal inquiries to the City of Chicago Law Department."
Montgomery is still employed by CDOT. According to the lawsuit, she left and went on unpaid leave from June to November, and when she returned, the department still paired her with the harassing coworker.c
