BOSTON (AP) - The founder and CEO of a fast-growing Boston-area bakery and cafe chain has stepped down amid a public campaign by current and former employees complaining of racial discrimination.
Tzurit Or told the Boston Globe on Friday that she’ll step away from day-to-day management of the 14-store operation to focus on the creative side of the business she launched in 2007. She said a new CEO will be named later.
The move comes after a group of current and former Tatte employees complained of racial bias and insensitivity at the company, and called for Or to step aside in an online petition.
Among the group’s complaints is that there are no persons of color on the company’s executive team and that some company managers make racist and sexist remarks at work, despite the company’s public support of the Black Lives Matter movement.
Or, who was born in Israel, told the Globe she was unaware of the concerns, and denied making racist or discriminatory statements, as some former staff members allege.
She said the company will take steps to address worker concerns, such as hiring a diversity consultant, launching an investigation into discrimination complaints, and establishing a formal human resources department and anonymous hot line for workers.
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