I (F26) work with a lot of foreign coworkers at a landfill. We pick recycling off a conveyor belt and are expected to do a certian amount a minute, or “pick speed”. Theirs are regularly low. Additionally, they had a habit of flushing paper towel and making a mess. This plugged the toilet, and the women’s restroom has been locked. We need special permission to use it like gradeschool. That all being said, I’ve had issues with them for more petty reasons. They would demand I sweep some certian part of the plant at the end of the day instead of whetever I was, they have no actual authority. They rush me in the bathroom, knocking on the doors. They generally are difficult. I am autistic, so I don’t deal with this well, and tend to yell. Every time, they make a point to all laugh in unison.
My boss’s boss was talking about meetings before work today. The subject of pick speeds came up, as one of the foremen has to bring it up during the meeting again. I complained as the boss was out the door that they really should be talking to these foreign workers, who among the above, have low pick speeds, make excuses not to switch stations as we normally would, and so on. The boss’s boss gets mad at me, tells me “Everyone deserves a chance to work here” and all but accuses me of racism. It’s worth noting, my pick speeds are usually well above average. AITAH?
Categorizing them by country of origin isn’t great. Focus on their actions, not their identities. If they did different actions, they wouldn’t be a problem. If some of them act differently, then they don’t deserve to be grouped together.
When coworkers (with no authority over you) do stuff like this, here’s the steps to end their behavior: