Thursday, September 30, 2004

Sex discrimination and harassment at a US base

From (yet another) Japan Times article:
A former TV anchorwoman at the U.S. Navy's Yokosuka Base [in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan] has accused the base command of failing to address what she calls a hostile work environment that allows "nonstop harassment and reprisals."

Sharon StephensonPino claims she has been repeatedly retaliated against, demoted and suspended, and was finally forced out of her job earlier this month because of a sexual harassment complaint she filed against her immediate supervisor.

Her complaint is corroborated by another ex-employee:
Others familiar with this case say StephensonPino is not the only victim.

Foremost is her former colleague, Brian Hammond, who claims he was removed for trying to support her. A technical director for "The Yokosuka Report," Hammond said he testified "whenever investigations came" and wrote letters to the base command in efforts to help her.

When one of his affidavits was revealed last October, Hammond said, he was given a letter, signed by the base commander, notifying him that his contract would not be renewed and would end last January.

Like StephensonPino, Hammond said the supervisor had given him an exemplary record, and he had won many navy awards for his work, which included developing a system to upload TV programs on the Web site.

Hammond said he filed an EEO [Equal Employment Opportunity] complaint in protest, but it was dismissed by the base's EEO office after only the supervisor and another person he identified were interviewed.

"I am done with this place," Hammond recalls thinking, adding "it would look better on my resume if I quit on my own" instead of being fired.
... read the rest of the article

No comments: