Target Lawsuit: Hispanic Workers Claim 'Multicultural Tips' Pamphlet Offensive; Co-Workers Used Racial Slurs [VIDEO]

An effort by Target to mitigate cultural sensitivity issues may have backfired on them. Former employees of a store located in California's Yolo County have filed a lawsuit alleging that a pamphlet circulating the store entitled "Organization Effectiveness, Employee and Labor Relations Multi-Cultural Tips" was in and of itself insensitive, the Huffington Post reported. The employees allege that the pamphlet went over common stereotypes associated with Latino cultures, but also made unfair judgments about race. It is claimed that the pamphlet read as follows:

a. Food: not everyone eats tacos and burritos;

b. Music: not everyone dances to salsa;

c. Dress: not everyone wears a sombrero;

d. Mexicans (lower education level, some may be undocumented);

e. Cubans (Political refugees, legal status, higher education level); and

f. They may say 'OK, OK' and pretend to understand, when they do not, just to save face.

Robert Gonzalez, Bulmaro Fabian and Pedro Garcia-Ayala said that they approached Target management about it and were chastised for their actions and ultimately fired. The allegations in the suit also state that predominantly white managers routinely used racial slurs when addressing employees, which prompted the three to act. The suit states that management used phrases like "wetback" and "sweating like a Mexican" among other things, Courthouse News reported. The three have since gained support from Latino organization LATISM, a nonprofit based in Washington D.C., which expressed concern about the inner workings of the corporation.

"It's very disturbing to think that a company which has a pretty good public persona might have such an ugly private face," the organization wrote.

Target spokeswoman Molly Snyder released a statement after receiving notice of the suit. She said the pamphlet is not indicative of Target as a whole, but admitted its existence. She decried its usage and maintained that none of its contents were part of a companywide training course:

It is never Target's intent to offend our team members or guests and we apologize. The content of the document referenced is not representative of who Target is. We strive at all times to be a place where our team and guests feel welcome, valued and respected. This document, which was used during conversations at one distribution center, was never part of any formal or company-wide training. We take accountability for its contents and are truly sorry.