The Equal Employment Opportunity Commision ("EEOC") announced that the Seattle-based Les Schwab Tire Centers will pay $2 million to settle claims that it discriminated against women by not hiring qualified women for jobs that included tire changing. Schwab operates 400 tire stores in Washington, Oregon, California, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, and Utah. The positions were sales and service department jobs that were a prerequisite for the more lucrative managerial positions. Schwab denied these positions to women for over 50 years and just recently promoted the first woman to an assistant manager position. One of the plaintiffs, who was demoted from sales when corporate took over the independently-owned store she worked at, was told "No gal in the company would ever make that kind of money. Gals should work in admin."
According to the EEOC, company founder Les Schwab's own published book exposes a corporate culture where men get the better jobs. Mr. Schwab's book describes how men can succeed in the company, reinforcing a decades-old idea that men do certain jobs and women do others. Mr. Schwab published the book some time ago, but a copy is still available for sale in every Les Schwab store.
The settlement concludes a gender discrimination class action suit filed in 2006. Schwab has also agreed to maintain anti-discrimination policies and provide training to all employees, as well as reporting to the EEOC to show its compliance.
The EEOC expects that this settlement will emphasize the importance of providing equal employment opportunities. Employers that place men and women in different types of jobs based on stereotypical views of what each gender is capable of doing are violating anti-discrimination laws.
If you have been denied a certain position because of your gender, you should contact an experienced discrimination attorney.
