EEOC Settles Lawsuit on Behalf of Hispanic Employees

Allegedly Denied Promotions to Management Jobs

   

SEATTLE -- The U.S. Equal  Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has settled its national origin  discrimination lawsuit against the successor of U S WEST Communications, Qwest  Communications International Inc., for $400,000.  The EEOC achieved the settlement on behalf of  a group of Hispanic employees who the EEOC alleged were denied promotions to  management jobs at company's Portland, Oregon, facilities from 1998 through  2001.  The company has denied these  allegations.

   

The company agreed to a two-year  consent decree in which it agreed to pay the group $400,000.  Qwest will maintain its annual employment  discrimination training and continue to provide training to hiring managers in  Portland, Oregon.  It will provide annual  reports to the EEOC for the duration of the decree.

   

“We are committed to fighting  discrimination in all its forms and in every jurisdiction. This settlement represents  a fair and equitable resolution of the disputed issues in the case,” said EEOC  San Francisco Regional Attorney William R. Tamayo.

   

"Employers cannot make  promotion decisions that discriminate on the basis of national origin,” said  EEOC San Francisco District Office Director Joan Ehrlich.  “Employers should not only avoid  discrimination, but should find ways to build on the assets diversity brings.”

   

Qwest's Oregon president Judy Peppler said, “Valuing  diversity and treating fellow Qwest team members with respect and trust have  long been and remain central to our corporate values.”

   

Qwest Communications (NYSE: Q) has headquarters in Denver, Colorado,  maintains a broadband network that serves 14 western and mid-western states,  and employs nearly 40,000 people, according to the company’s web site www.qwest.com.  Qwest acquired U S WEST Communications Inc. in  June 2000.

    The EEOC enforces the nation's laws in the private and  federal sectors prohibiting employ­ment discrimination based on race, color,  gender, religion, national origin, age and disability. The Seattle Field Office is part of the San Francisco  District, with jurisdiction over Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington.  Further information about the EEOC is  available on its web site at www.eeoc.gov