June 4 (Reuters) - General Mills ( GIS ) has been sued

by eight Black employees who accused the food company of

tolerating decades of racism at a suburban Atlanta plant led by

white managers known as the Good Ole Boys.

A complaint filed on Sunday said managers at the Covington

plant, which makes cereal and trail mix, favor whites for

promotions over more qualified Blacks, subject Blacks to tougher

performance standards, and manufacture false evidence to justify

demoting Blacks.

One plaintiff, Keith McClinton, said that after "KKK" was

scrawled on his lunchbox in 2006, he was forced to give a

handwriting sample to show he did not do it himself.

The plaintiffs also said many Black workers fear complaining

about discrimination because managers will retaliate, and that

managers co-opted racist symbols to keep Blacks "in their

place."

They cited a mural displayed from 2005 to 2021 that echoed a

memorial for Confederate leaders on Georgia's Stone Mountain,

but with the Cocoa Puffs cuckoo bird portraying Jefferson Davis

and the Honey Nut Cheerios bee portraying Stonewall Jackson.

General Mills ( GIS ) did not immediately respond on Tuesday to

requests for comment. A lawyer for the plaintiffs did not

immediately respond to a similar request.

On its website, Minneapolis-based General Mills ( GIS ) said it

prohibits discrimination, and is "dedicated to becoming a

reflection of the world we seek where racial equity, diversity

and inclusion nourish us all."

Sunday's lawsuit alleges violations of federal civil rights

law and federal and state racketeering laws at the Covington

plant, where "entire careers have been hampered by Good Ole

Boys" since the late 1980s.

It seeks compensatory and punitive damages for hundreds of

Black employees in the last four years who suffered adverse

employment actions.

The case is Davis et al v. General Mills Operations LLC,

U.S. District Court, Northern District of Georgia, No. 24-02409.