ST. LOUIS — A former employee of St. Patrick Center has filed a federal lawsuit alleging that the St. Louis nonprofit discriminated against him based on race and sex and retaliated against him after he complained about unequal treatment.
Ronald C. Wilkerson Jr., a Black man, alleges that St. Patrick Center violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 through a pattern of discriminatory employment practices and retaliatory actions that culminated in his termination in January 2024, according to a complaint filed Dec. 8 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri.
Wilkerson was employed as a night assistant in the nonprofit’s women’s night program, a short-term housing program for women experiencing homelessness and dealing with substance abuse or mental illness.
He began working in the position in February 2023 and was responsible for overseeing 30 to 40 residents during overnight shifts, ensuring residents had access to food, clothing and hygiene supplies, overseeing medication, enforcing shelter rules and ensuring compliance with treatment plans, according to the suit.
Wilkerson alleges that he was the only male staff member among eight employees working in the women’s night program and that, although many staff members were Black there were no Black employees in positions of authority.
The complaint states that his supervisor and the organization’s chief executive officer were both white women.
The lawsuit further alleges that Wilkerson regularly worked overnight shifts and was frequently called in at the last minute to cover additional shifts, often resulting in double shifts.
Because of these last-minute scheduling demands, Wilkerson claims he was told he could take sleep breaks during downtime, a practice he alleges was common among night assistants.
Wilkerson also alleges disparate treatment between Black and white employees, including scheduling differences among case workers.
Black case workers were required to work set schedules that included weekends, while a white case worker was permitted to set her own schedule and was not required to work weekends, the complaint states.
The complaint details incidents beginning in October 2023 involving a white resident in the women’s night program who allegedly violated shelter rules and harassed Wilkerson and other staff members.
Wilkerson claims he followed protocol by reporting the resident’s behavior to his supervisor, but the resident faced no consequences.
Two Black staff members who were also allegedly harassed by the resident ultimately quit their jobs, according to the lawsuit.
Wilkerson further alleges that Black residents who engaged in similar behavior were terminated from the program, while the white resident was allowed to remain.
Wilkerson states that he repeatedly complained to his supervisor about what he perceived as unequal treatment of Blacks compared to white and continued to update his supervisor about the ongoing situation.
He alleges that the resident’s harassment included cursing and verbal threats and continued until his employment ended.
The complaint also describes an off-site staff outing in December 2023 at a candle-making business, where Wilkerson was the only male attendee.
Wilkerson alleges he was written up for using a candle store employee’s apron to wipe hot wax from his hand, despite there being no inappropriate touching, connotation or negative reaction from the employee.
Following the incident, he was required to take sexual harassment courses, which he claims made him feel singled out because of his sex and his prior discrimination complaints.
Wilkerson received a termination letter on Jan. 17, 2024, the complaint states.
The nonprofit allegedly cited sleeping during his shift and disrespectful, aggressive behavior toward clients as the reasons for his dismissal.
Wilkerson contends these reasons were pretextual, asserting that staff had permission to sleep during shifts and that other employees engaged in similar conduct without being terminated. He further alleges favoritism, misrepresentations by his supervisor and a hostile work environment.
After his termination, Wilkerson filed a charge of discrimination with the Missouri Commission on Human Rights and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on March 5, 2024.
He received a right-to-sue letter from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division on Sept. 10, according to the complaint.
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri case number: 4:25-cv-01786
