Campbell’s employee fights termination after exposing VP’s 'disgusting' rant about co-workers and food at New Jersey headquarters
Campbell SoupCampbell Soup(US:CPB) The Economic Times·2025-11-24 08:27

Core Viewpoint - A Campbell's employee, Robert Garza, is suing the company for wrongful termination after he reported a vice president's racist and disparaging remarks about coworkers and customers during a compensation meeting [1][8]. Group 1: Incident Details - Garza attended a routine salary discussion with VP Martin Bally, which escalated into an hour-long tirade filled with derogatory comments about Campbell's products and employees [1][5]. - Bally allegedly made racist remarks about Indian coworkers, calling them 'idiots' and claiming they 'couldn't think for their f-ing selves' [5][1]. - The meeting left Garza feeling ill, prompting him to document the incident [1][6]. Group 2: Legal Action and Termination - After initially keeping the recording private, Garza reported Bally's behavior to his supervisor in January 2025, feeling compelled to act against the racist remarks [6][1]. - Garza was unexpectedly fired just 20 days after reporting the incident, despite having received praise for his work performance in a previous meeting [7][1]. - His attorney noted that Garza had never faced any disciplinary actions during his employment, making the termination feel sudden and unjust [9][7]. Group 3: Company Response - Following the termination, Garza received no follow-up from Human Resources or any explanation regarding the decision, leading to further concerns about the company's internal processes [9][8].