WILLAMETTE TREE WHOLESALE SUED BY EEOC FOR SEVERE SEXUAL HARASSMENT, RETALIATION

Latina Workers at Oregon Nursery Sexually Harassed, Threatened, and One Woman Repeatedly Raped, Federal Agency Charges

SEATTLE — A  Molalla, Ore., nursery violated federal law when it allowed female employees to  be severely sexually harassed and retaliated against the women and male  co-workers after they reported the harassment, the U.S. Equal Employment  Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit it filed today. This is the agency’s third such case against Oregon agricultural  employers. Last October, the EEOC filed  lawsuits against Scheimer Farms of Nyassa, Ore.,  and against Wilcox Farms, Inc., and Wilcox Dairy Farms Group in Aurora, Ore.

The EEOC’s suit charges that sexual  harassment and retaliation occurred at the Molalla, Ore., facility of Willamette Tree Wholesale,  which operates 140 acres of retail  nursery farmland, including a garden supply store and business office. According to the federal agency’s  investigation, one worker, a 38-year-old Latina,  was taken to remote areas of the farm by the company foreman and raped  repeatedly over several months. In  addition to threatening her with termination and loss of needed income, the harasser physically  coerced her with pruning shears, and made threats against her life as well as against her  family. Ultimately, when she  refused to be sexually assaulted yet again, she was fired.

Another Latina  co-worker, age 35, faced daily sexual innuendos and propositions for sex as  well as grabbing and touching. When she  and her husband, who also worked there, reported sexual harassment by a crew leader,  Willamette Tree failed to investigate or respond to their complaint. The EEOC  alleges that the couple and her brother were terminated in retaliation for  having reported and opposed sexual harassment.

“All sexual harassment isunacceptable,  but what happened hereis unspeakable,” said EEOC Acting Chairman Stuart  J. Ishimaru. “This shows how dangerous a  situation can become when employers are hostile to workers' rights  andsexual harassment goes unchecked. There simply is no excuse for  any employer tolerating this sort of worker abuse, and enough is enough.  The EEOCis going to be focusing more and more on finding new and better  ways to reach the most vulnerable of discrimination victims, like these farm  workers, and to halt this kind of horrific mistreatment."

Sexual harassment and retaliation for  complaining about it violate Title VII of Civil Rights Act of 1964. The EEOC filed suit in U.S. District Court for  the District of Oregon (EEOC v. Willamette  Tree Wholesale, Inc. (CV-09-690-PK) after first attempting to reach a voluntary  settlement out of court. The workers will be represented in the  lawsuit by the Oregon  Law Center,  which brought the case to the EEOC’s attention. The EEOC seeks monetary damages on  behalf of the workers, training on anti-discrimination laws, posting of notices  at the work site, and other injunctive relief.

EEOC Regional Attorney William R.  Tamayo said, “From California, where the fields were called ‘field de calzon’ (or ‘field of panties’)  because so many supervisors raped women there, to Florida, where female farm  workers call them ‘The Green Motel,’ and throughout the country, we have found  women working in agriculture are often particularly vulnerable to sexual  harassment. We hope this third Oregon lawsuit will send  notice to employers in this industry to stop predatory sexual behavior and  abuses of supervisor power.”
         
        EEOC District Director Michael  Baldonado noted, “Our investigation found that sexual harassment at Willamette Tree was widespread, tolerated, expected, and  a condition of employment.
        Instead of  investigating reports of sexual harassment and taking action to stop or prevent  it, these employers ignored repeated signs of harassment and blamed the victims. We hope this lawsuit will encourage  workers to be able to step forward about discrimination without fear of losing  their jobs.”

Workers who suffered sexual  harassment at Willamette Tree Wholesale should contact the EEOC to determine if  they qualify to be part of the class: contact Carmen Flores at (206) 220-6853.

In 2008, the U.S. Court of Appeals  for the Ninth Circuit affirmed the judgment on a jury verdict of over  $1,000,000 in favor of the EEOC and farm worker Olivia Tamayo (no relation to  William Tamayo) in a sexual harassment and retaliation lawsuit against  Coalinga, Calif.-based Harris  Farms, one of the largest integrated farming operations in the Central San Joaquin Valley.

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