Sexual Discrimination Isn't 'Trivial'

[Omaha Steve]

Full article: http://www.alternet.org/workplace/38541/



Sexual Discrimination Isn't 'Trivial'

By Charlotte Fishman, Women's eNews. Posted July 6, 2006.

The Supreme Court decision upholding a jury verdict in favor of a female forklift operator was a momentous victory for working women everywhere.

The wait for the June 22 Supreme Court decision in the case of a female forklift operator who suffered retaliation after she complained of sexual harassment was white-knuckle time for lawyers who represent women fighting gender discrimination in the workplace.

Discrimination is a complex phenomenon and we know that the glass ceiling for women is held in place as much by micro-iniquities as it is by disparate treatment with clear economic consequences. In the workplace, as in life, even little things can mean a lot.

When the Supreme Court accepted the case for review this term, it entered not only a legal dispute but a fierce controversy between opposing world views about what "means a lot" in the world of work. Since every discrimination case begins with a victim's complaint, establishing the level of protection available to employees who suffer retaliation after they complain determines how vigorously the laws against employment discrimination are enforced.

Forklift operator Sheila White's experience is a near perfect example of the hostile treatment faced by many women who accept nontraditional jobs in a blue-collar environment to support their families. On her first day of work, as the only woman on the job in Burlington Northern's Memphis, Tenn., railyard, White's foreman singled her out in front of the other trainees:

[Demeter]

1. K&R Because It Truly Isn't Trivial

[ThomCat]

2. This is a great decision.

The companies do not get to decide what should be considered retaliation and what should not be.

[Skittles]

3. these gals need some Skittles training

her biggest mistake was ignoring it from the start - I would have put a stop to it IMMEDIATELY