NEA To Pay For Harassment Of Women

The U.S Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced today at a press conference the $750,000 settlement of a sex discrimination lawsuit against the National Education Association (NEA) and its affiliate NEA-Alaska on behalf of three female former employees who were subjected to persistent verbal abuse and intimidation by a belligerent high-level male manager. In addition to the monetary relief, the unions agreed to make policy changes to address any future discrimination.

EEOC’s suit (Civil Action No. A01-0225-CV (JKS)), filed in July 2001, charged that manager Thomas Harvey, then interim assistant executive director for NEA-Alaska, subjected Carol Christopher, Carmela Chamara and Julie Bhend to abusive treatment on a daily basis. Harvey targeted the female staff by screaming and yelling at them with little or no provocation, often using profanity and frequently berating them in public, the EEOC said. The women described Harvey as turning bright red with bulging neck veins as he screamed, coming so close they often felt his saliva spit on their faces. He also physically intimidated the women by sneaking up behind them and watching over their work for no apparent reason. Further, Harvey would shake his fists at the women and come within striking distance, raising fears that he would physically attack the women.

The Alaska Federal District Court had dismissed the EEOC’s case on the ground that the behavior was not overtly sexual and thus not unlawful sex harassment. The EEOC appealed that ruling and in September 2005, the San Francisco-based Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals reinstated the lawsuit, stating that it was wrong for the lower court to dismiss the case because harassing conduct does not have to be motivated by lust or blatant misogyny to be illegal sex discrimination.  Read more at eeoc.gov