Atlanta Radio: Two Sue Urban One Over Unpaid Overtime

Shorty Mac

Two women have recently filed a class action suit in Atlanta against Urban One, the corporate entity that represents Atlanta hip-hop station WHTA Hot 107.9, over unpaid overtime.

According to Atlanta media watcher Rodney Ho ar ajc.com, The plaintiffs also alleged sexual harassment at the hands of now former Radio One Atlanta vice president of programming “Hurricane” Dave Smith.

The defendant in this case is Urban One, which is based in Silver Springs, Md. Smith is not named as a defendant. Smith was fired last August by Urban One after a previous lawsuit was filed by a former on-air personality Shorty Mack who claimed he sexually assaulted and harassed her. Smith later filed a defamation counterclaim lawsuit.

Dave Smith

Desiree Lucas was hired at Hot in 2012 as a production assistant while Dominique Hinton joined the station as a production assistant and board operator the same year. Their responsibilities included assigning commercials to on-air personalities, assisting guests on the radio shows and ensuring commercials play and shows come back on time. The lawsuit noted these jobs are categorized as hourly employment. They said they worked overtime but did not receive overtime pay of time and a half. The suit said they regularly worked more than 40 hours a week. Lucas makes $12.82 an hour - a wage that had not changed in nearly eight years. Hinton worked at the station from 2012 until she was terminated in 2018 and was paid between $10 to $12.32 an hour.

They believe male employees doing the same job were getting paid more than the women. Both filed comparable sex discrimination and retaliation suits with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in 2018.

This lawsuit, filed in the United States District Court in the Northern District of Georgia, also describes alleged behavior by Smith.

Among them:“What’s your favorite sex position?”“I think about you. Do you think about me?”“I think about you when I’m having sex with my wife.”

In April, 2018, she disclosed Smith’s harassment to HR. She believes Smith’s bosses conducted an investigation that month and Smith was “suspended.”

She was fired a few weeks later. Management claimed she uploaded an incorrect file for the Rickey Smiley Morning Show but she believes files were altered while she was out of the office. “Smith and Urban One terminated Ms. Hinton in retaliation for her denying Smith’s sexual advances and for her reporting Smith’s sexual harassment,” the lawsuit said.