COVINGTON, Ga. — Several Black employees are filing a lawsuit against General Mills Operations, LLC saying they have had to endure a “hostile work environment” for years.

According to the lawsuit they claim the General Mills plant in Covington is run by a group of “male white supremacists operating in management and HR” known as the “Good Ole Boys.”

They claim that since the plant was started in 1988, systems have been in place to treat white employees better than Black employees.

The lawsuit goes on to say that in 2005, the “Good Ole Boys” had General Mills commission a mural of the Confederate carving on Stone Mountain using official General Mills characters as the Confederate generals. In the mural, Sonny the Cuckoo Bird, the Cocoa Puffs mascot, is depicted as Jefferson Davis, Chef Wendell, a former Cinnamon Toast Crunch mascot, is Robert E. Lee and Buzz the Bee, the Cheerios mascot, is seen as Stonewall Jackson.

The employees say that for more than 20 years, HR has been ignoring acts of racism, including Black employees being threatened with demotions and pay cuts.

The lawsuit, which was filed earlier this week in the Northern District of Georgia, demands a jury trial, financial losses, compensatory damages and more.

General Mills released a statement in response to the lawsuit that read,

“We do not comment on pending litigation. General Mills has a long-standing and ongoing commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion and we do not tolerate discrimination of any kind.”