99 Cents, Townhouse settle EEOC suit for $80K

The owner of 99 Cents Supermarket and Townhouse Department Store will pay $80,000 to settle a sexual harassment, pregnancy discrimination and retaliation case filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the agency said yesterday.

The case highlights the continued prevalence of sexual harassment cases on the islands, according to a ranking EEOC official.

“Unfortunately, sexual harassment continues to be a problem in the Marianas. The EEOC will continue to make a major effort, through aggressive litigation and extensive education and outreach for employers and workers, to address this issue and ensure that this trend changes,” said Timothy Riera, the EEOC Honolulu Local Director, whose office oversees the CNMI.

The EEOC’s suit against 99 Cents Supermarkets Inc., Yun’s Corp., and Townhouse Inc., which own and operate various grocery markets on Saipan, charged that female cashiers were sexually harassed by a supervisor in the form of unwelcome touching (including slapping and spanking), the touching of private parts, lifting of female employees’ skirts and repeated lewd demands.

Despite several complaints, the employer’s management failed to take prompt corrective action.

In addition, the employment contracts of two of the female cashiers were not renewed because of their pregnancy.

The consent decree settling the suit provides $80,000 in damages to six women who were subjected to a sexually hostile work environment at the supermarket chain on Saipan.

The decree also requires the company to take steps to ensure that harassment does not continue at the supermarket and the revision of its personnel policies and practices, training of personnel, the hiring of an equal employment opportunity consultant, and the posting of the terms of the decree at all of the defendant’s facilities.

“Employers need to know there is no exception under federal employment law because of the individual’s immigration status or not being U.S. citizens, as was the case here,” said EEOC Regional Attorney Anna Park. “Employers need to be proactive in dealing with discrimination complaints made by their employees before the commission is forced to intervene as we had to do in this case.” [B][I](Saipan Tribune)[/I][/B]