On Tuesday (4-9), the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) a filed a sexual harassment suit against Mitsubishi Motor Manufacturing on behalf of hundreds of female workers at the Normal, Illinois factory which employs 4,000 workers. Filed at the U.S. District Court in Peoria, Ill., the suit:
seeks an injunction to stop mistreatment of women at the factory
demands back pay with interest and benefits
demands compensatory and punitive damages that could reach $300,000 for each worker
calls for reinstatement of those forced to leave involuntarily
According to EEOC Vice Chairman Paul M. Igasaki, Mistubishi is “a big employer which for years has permitted gross and shocking sexual discrimination to be perpetrated upon its female workers.” The EEOC said that up to 700 women may be eligible for damages for harassment that has been occurring at the plant since at least 1990. Igasaki said the lawsuit “will have a significant impact on the lives of working women throughout the country, especially those attempting to earn a living in jobs long dominated by men.”
