Notice: Undefined index: HTTP_REFERER in /home/stparch/public_html/headmid_temp_main.php on line 4394
Newspaper Archive of
Shelton Mason County Journal
Shelton, Washington
July 21, 2011     Shelton Mason County Journal
PAGE 5     (5 of 18 available)        PREVIOUS     NEXT      Jumbo Image    Save To Scrapbook    Set Notifiers    PDF    JPG
 
PAGE 5     (5 of 18 available)        PREVIOUS     NEXT      Jumbo Image    Save To Scrapbook    Set Notifiers    PDF    JPG
July 21, 2011
 
Newspaper Archive of Shelton Mason County Journal produced by SmallTownPapers, Inc.
Website © 2025. All content copyrighted. Copyright Information
Terms Of Use | Privacy Policy | Request Content Removal | About / FAQ | Get Acrobat Reader




Mason County Forest Products settles lawsuit, By Journal Staff In addition to paying the women $900,000, the company agreed to a three-year consent decree. Although the Mason Mason County Forest Products has agreed to pay County ForestProducts sawmill stopped operation in2010, $900,000 to two female workers to settle a federal lawsuit the decree requires parent company Long Bell Ventures, alleging sexual harassment, sex discrimination and retalia- LLC to implement corrective measures such as comprehen- tion, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission sive training at any new sawmill facility it may open in the (EEOC) announced this week. next three years. The EEOC's investigation showed that two women faced "I stood up for myself and, ultimately, through this pro- widespread hostility, and that upper management at the cess, for other women," said Debbie Berntsen, one of the two mill chose to ignore the harassment, saying, "Boys will be discrimination victims. "Companies like this need to know boys." Their supervisor made it clear that he did not want that they can't allow women to be treated this way in any women on his crew, using demeaning comments, physical workplace." intimidation and verbal threats. He condoned and partici- EEOC Regional Attorney William R. Tamayo pointed out pated in crude and misogynistic language reducing women that more than a third of all charges seen by the Commis- to body parts, the EEOC said. sion involve retaliation, and that, for the first time ever, re- The male employees targeted their female co-workers taliation under all statutes (36,258) surpassed race (35,890) with lewd comments and gestures, displayed sex toys and as the most frequently filed charge at the EEOC in fiscal pornography in a locker, and positioned the women's porta- year 2010. ble lavatory for optimal surveillance. Sometimes, the EEOC Tamayo said, "Employers who try to solve a harassment said, they would lock the female workers inside and push problem by getting rid of the people who speak out about it the unit back and forth, sloshing the contents around them. will only add to that statistic. We hope this settlement will Ultimately, the supervisor fired the two women, resulting in remind employers to respond properly to complaints about the all-male crew he frequently promoted as his ideal, harassment or discrimination, with timely investigation Sex discrimination, including sexual harassment, and and steps to end any misconduct found." retaliation for complaining about it violate Title VII of the EEOC Supervisory Trial Attorney John Stanley said, Civil Rights Act of 1964. After first attempting to reach a "Management can make a huge difference in setting the pre-litigation settlement through conciliation, the EEOC tone for its work force. Making the excuse that 'Boys will filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the District of be boys' is sexist and patronizing. Surely it's appropriate Washington. Seattle private attorney Scott Blankenship to set the expectation that your employees will act as ma- represented the two victims and served as co-lead counsel ture adults working in a professional, respectful environ- with the EEOC. ment free of harassment." Prices good through July 31, 2011 Theh~!;)f,:Jplace. rlidw (:mr M~ 3/IP rap, m- mmellt Fm all m ma ~,.tmd ~ets. 1336924 Ot~.. ~s~ m 2 W/,er mare NW, role Ilmw at4 pladc ~ay 1;~a932 : ' J 1147461 The Mason County Commission honored for "heroic efforts" Tuesday. By NATALIE JOHNSON The Mason County Board of Com- missioners honored Mason County Fire Protection District 4 Chief Bob Burbridge this week with a certificate for "heroic efforts." "Chief Burbridge in my opinion is one of the unsung heroes in this coun- ty," commissioner Jerry Lingle said. "He is an incredible human being and I am honored to know him and call him my friend." Regularly Love Journal photo by Natalie Jolmso~ Fire District 4 Chief Bob 13urbridge with a certificate • On June 23, while off duty and out of his fire district, Lingle said Bur- bridge took "quick action to save a life." Burbridge responded to an incident near the Shelton Red Apple store on State Route 3 when a Mason Transit Authority driver suffered cardiac ar- rest on his bus. "Chief Burbridge happened to be in the area," Lingle said. "It was a hairy situation." Burbridge started CPR immediate- ly - the driver was later transported to Providence St. Peter Hospital in Olympia and survived the experience. "Had it not been for Chief Bur- bridge this individual would have been in dire straights," Lingle said. Burbridge humbly accepted his cer- tificate and said that he was happy to use CPR to save a life. "CPR works," he said. "It's one year older than me and it worked on me as an infant. It feels great to pay it for- ward." 0tb ' Regularly Wishing You 50 More Love from -- Bob, Beth, Barry, & Bonny F~-condt~te, t, PRESSURE WASHERS PAINT SPRAYERS SCAFFOLDING ... AND MUCH IHardware Monday-Saturday 8:00-6:30 Sunday 9-5 First & Mill. Shelton 4264373 or 426-2411 ~JI prim plus tox • Limited to slo& on bond Shelton-Mason County Journal - Thursday, July 21,2011 - Page A-5