A former employee has taken legal action against a major paint manufacturer, alleging wrongful termination due to union activities and whistleblowing. Ramman Haido filed a complaint in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois on January 17, 2025, accusing Sherwin-Williams Company of retaliatory discharge. The lawsuit details allegations of harassment and intimidation following Haido's involvement in union formation efforts and reporting fraudulent activities within the company.
According to the complaint, Ramman Haido began working as a general machine operator at Sherwin-Williams' Wheeling, Illinois location in October 2018. In September 2021, he became actively involved in forming a union alongside his colleague Christian (last name unknown). Their efforts were aimed at addressing concerns over low wages and benefits among employees. However, after Christian was terminated due to his union activities, Haido claims he faced continuous threats from Sherwin-Williams, which led him to discourage further unionization efforts.
Haido alleges that following his decision to withdraw the petition for joining the United Steelworkers Union (USU), he experienced retaliatory treatment from Sherwin-Williams. This included being assigned unsafe tasks without proper training or certification and being pressured into providing gifts to company personnel such as Nathan Stemen, the Human Rights manager. The alleged harassment persisted until Haido's termination on September 5, 2023.
The complaint also highlights Haido's role as a whistleblower within Sherwin-Williams. On August 17, 2023, he reported fraudulent practices involving misrepresentation of paint products to his supervisors Oscar Ocampo and Richard Murphy. Haido claimed that the company was using identical formulas for different products that required distinct specifications, thereby misleading customers and saving costs unlawfully. Despite submitting documentation supporting these claims, Haido was terminated shortly thereafter under what he argues are false pretenses related to paperwork discrepancies.
In his lawsuit, Haido contends that both his union activities and whistleblowing constituted "protected activity" under relevant laws. He argues that Sherwin-Williams' stated reasons for his termination were mere pretexts for retaliation against him for engaging in these protected actions.
Haido seeks compensatory damages exceeding $75,000 for lost wages and benefits due to his wrongful termination. Additionally, he is pursuing emotional damages amounting to $150,000 and punitive damages also totaling $150,000.
Representing Ramman Haido is attorney John M. O’Toole from O’Toole Law Firm LLC based in Chicago. The case has been filed under Case ID: 1:25-cv-00632 but does not yet list any judges presiding over it.