Puyallup Truck Dealership Sued by EEOC for National Origin and Sexual Harassment

Northwest  Motorsport Failed to Stop Supervisor's Same-Sex Abuse of Filipino  American Employee, Federal Agency Charged

SEATTLE — A Puyallup, Wash., used-truck  dealership violated federal law when its general manager engaged in ongoing  harassment targeting a Filipino American male employee, the U.S. Equal  Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit filed today.    

According to the EEOC, the male  supervisor aimed demeaning comments at Northwest Motorsport's Internet  marketing manager, Bayani Salcedo, for many months in 2009 and early 2010.  The harassment included frequent and  derogatory observations about Salcedo's Filipino national origin and purported  sexual attributes.  Despite his complaints  to management, the harassment continued and finally became so unbearable that  his only option was to quit, the EEOC said. 

"I shared an office with my  supervisor, so small it put me 12 inches away from him," said Salcedo.  "On a daily basis, he made abusive remarks  about me being Filipino, and lewd and offensive comments about me, my body and my  wife.  It was humiliating and wrong -- I  have never faced anything remotely like this in past jobs."

Harassment of employees based on  their national origin or sex violates Title VII of Civil Rights Act of  1964.  After first attempting to reach a  voluntary settlement through conciliation, the EEOC filed the lawsuit (EEOC v. Northwest Motorsport, Inc., CV-12-05728)  in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, seeking monetary  damages on behalf of Salcedo along with corrective measures in the workplace.

"The Filipino American community  should know that the EEOC will fight for all workers.  Everyone is entitled to a discrimination-free  workplace," said EEOC San Francisco Regional Attorney William R. Tamayo, whose  office has jurisdiction over Washington state.   "By law, employers must protect their workers and take responsibility  for the actions of their management.

EEOC  District Director Michael Baldonado added, "Mr.  Salcedo deserved better.  No one should  be forced to leave a job just to escape persistent harassment."

Northwest  Motorsport's website, www.nwmsrocks.com, bills the employer as "the #1  independent truck dealer in Washington state."

The EEOC enforces federal laws prohibiting  employment discrimination.  Additional information  about the EEOC is available on its web site at www.eeoc.gov.