I was working on a summary of a case called Miller v. Dept of Corrections for the community when, like fate, this question was posted to the forum by a woman who was feeling driven from her job by her boss: QUESTION: [Edited for clarity] "I don't think he's discriminating based on sex, race or religion. He just didn't like what I said one day, which was that he "should be more discrete with that girl in accounting" since he is married. He has had it out for me ever since. He gave me a horrible review. I went to HR with examples disproving the review. They pushed it to the side and agreed with him. I talked to his boss and stated if someone was going to be given a review that bad then examples should accompany it. She said "Well, he said he told you about it". I work in a … [Read more...]
Three Female Employees Win $485,000 For Retaliation & Sex Harassment from Fred Meyer Stores
SEATTLE - Fred Meyer Stores, Inc. (Fred Meyer) will pay $485,000 to three female victims of sexual harassment and retaliation to settle a lawsuit brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the EEOC announced today. According to the EEOC's suit ( EEOC, et. al. v. Fred Meyer Stores, Inc. No. CV08-0208 HA, United States District Court of Oregon), the company's practice of harassing female employees occurred during 2004 through 2005 at the Fred Meyer Oregon City store. The EEOC says the sexually hostile work environment started at the top, with illegal conduct by the store director and operations manager. The EEOC further asserted in the litigation that the store director and operations manager repeatedly subjected females to graphic sexual discussions, … [Read more...]
Does Your Abusive Boss Keep Notes About You Outside Your Personnel File?
Today's post is an excellent question I received in the Undercover Lawyer Forum: Question: I have copies of my personnel file from HR. I am hearing from co-workers that the head honcho has files on employees in her office-presumably all of the "bad" stuff. I suppose it is legal for her to have these files. Are they admissable as evidence in proceedings? My personal documentation is admissible; is this considered her personal documentation? Answer: One thing many employers often get wrong is what a "personnel file" is. They think if an employee requests a copy of the personnel file, the employee only gets what is kept in a folder with "employee's name" marked on it, and which is kept in a file drawer along with a bunch of other employees' files. Many employers … [Read more...]
