United Airlines is being sued by 24 African-American employees, 22 captains and two operations supervisors, who filed suit on Tuesday claiming that the company discriminated against them because of their race. The complaint alleges that United’s policies worked against them when it came to getting promotions.

The Chicago Tribune reports on the lawsuit, which was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.

“The company’s employment policies involve uncontrolled subjective criteria that are applied in an arbitrary manner, further promoting racial biases and stereotypes to the detriment of many extremely qualified management candidates,” one plaintiff, a captain, said separately in a statement.

United responded with its own statement on the matter: “United does not tolerate harassment or discrimination of any kind. We believe this lawsuit is without merit and will vigorously defend ourselves.”

The plaintiffs claim they have been illegally passed over for promotions since 2009.

Suit alleges racial discrimination by United Airlines [Chicago Tribune]

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