~surreal~ Posted June 19 Report Share Posted June 19 please spread the news > > refer them to www.afjustice.com or they can call> > (800) 597-6887.> > > > > > > > FYI, today's NYT's coverage of the filing of the> > Abercrombie & Fitch> > discrimination lawsuit. There was great press> > turnout this morning so> > expect to see more press coverage in mainstream> and> > ethnic media (as always,> > please share with the appropriate staff person any> > articles you spot).> > > >>----------------------------------------------------------------------------> > ----> > > > June 17, 2003> > Clothing Chain Accused of Discrimination> > By STEVEN GREENHOUSE> > > > Abercrombie & Fitch, the clothing retailer that> > appeals to the college set> > with blond-haired, blue-eyed models, was sued> > yesterday for racial> > discrimination, accused of favoring whites for its> > sales floor jobs.> > > > The lawsuit, filed in Federal District Court in> San> > Francisco, charges that> > Abercrombie discriminates against Hispanics,> Asians> > and blacks in its hiring> > as it seeks to project what the company calls the> > "classic American" look.> > > > Abercrombie, whose upscale casual clothes have> made> > it one of the hottest> > companies for teenagers and college students, is> > accused of favoring whites> > by concentrating its hiring on certain colleges,> > fraternities and> > sororities.> > > > Several Hispanic and Asian plaintiffs said in> > interviews that when they> > applied for jobs, store managers steered them to> > stockroom jobs and away> > from the sales floor because they did not project> > what the company called> > the "A & F look." That look, these plaintiffs> said,> > is overwhelmingly white,> > judging from the low percentage of minority> members> > who work on the sales> > floor and from the company's posters and quarterly> > magazine, which> > overwhelmingly featured white models.> > > > In an affidavit, a former assistant manager of the> > Abercrombie store in> > Faneuil Hall in Boston said that of the 110> > employees there, two or three> > were black, one was Hispanic and the other 106> were> > white.> > > > "It's quite clear that they go to great pains to> > make sure all of their> > managers and assistant managers know what they're> > looking for and what those> > managers will be judged on: does your work force> fit> > our all-white image?"> > said Thomas A. Saenz, vice president for> litigation> > at the Mexican American> > Legal Defense and Educational Fund.> > > > A spokesman for Abercrombie, which is based in New> > Albany, Ohio, said> > yesterday that the company would not comment> because> > it had not yet seen the> > legal papers.> > > > In a guidebook distributed to employees, the> > "Abercrombie Look Book," the> > company states: "America is diverse, and we want> > diversity in our stores. We> > do not discriminate, and will not tolerate> > discrimination in hiring based on> > race, national origin, religion, color, sex, age> or> > disability."> > > > Abercrombie, which outfitted Theodore Roosevelt> and> > Ernest Hemingway, was> > founded in 1892 as a supplier of rugged gear. It> > filed for bankruptcy in> > 1977, and its name was sold to Oshman Sporting> Goods> > in 1979 and was resold> > in 1989 to The Limited. That company revived the> > brand name with clothes> > focusing on a youthful lifestyle. In 1996, The> > Limited spun off Abercrombie,> > which has about 600 stores and 22,000 employees.> > > > Several plaintiffs said that top managers often> > visited stores and examined> > pictures of employees to determine whether they> > conformed with the> > Abercrombie & Fitch look. Often, the legal papers> > say, store managers> > approach attractive white customers who have the> > "look" and urge them to> > apply for sales jobs.> > > > Jennifer Lu said she and four other Asian sales> > clerks had been fired from> > an Abercrombie store in Costa Mesa, Calif., after> a> > top corporate official> > visited last February and told the store's> managers> > there were too many> > Asian sales clerks. Soon after, she said, six> whites> > were hired to replace> > them.> > > > "I thought the nation was beyond this type of> thing> > after all these years of> > civil rights," said Ms. Lu, a senior at the> > University of California at> > Irvine. "If Asian people knew that they were doing> > this, they'd be> > outraged."> > > > Juancarlos Gomez-Montejano, who worked in sales at> > an Abercrombie in Santa> > Monica, said that after a corporate official> visited> > his store, he and four> > other minority sales workers were terminated, told> > that the staff was too> > large. A few weeks later, he said, the store hired> > five white fraternity> > members from U.C.L.A.> > > > "It disgusted me because my family name has been> on> > this continent for> > centuries, and they have the audacity to say I'm> not> > American enough," Mr.> > Gomez-Montejano said.> > > > He complained to the Mexican American Legal> Defense> > Fund, which filed the> > lawsuit along with the Asian Pacific American> Legal> > Center, the NAACP Legal> > Defense and Educational Fund and Lieff, Cabraser,> > Heimann & Bernstein.> > > > In a case involving Mr. Gomez-Montejano, the Los> > Angeles office of the Equal> > Employment Opportunity Commission concluded in> 2001> > that at Abercrombie,> > "Latinos and blacks, as a class, were denied> > permanent positions, denied> > assignments and treated in an unfair manner with> > regard to recruitment based> > on their race."> > The lawyers are asking for an unspecified amount> in> > back wages and punitive> > damages, an order putting plaintiffs in their> > rightful jobs and an> > injunction ordering the company to end unlawful> > practices.> > > > "For most of them this is their first job, and the> > lesson that Abercrombie> > has taught them is that workplace discrimination> > continues to exist," said> > Bill Lann Lee, a lawyer representing the> plaintiffs> > and former director of> > the Justice Department's civil rights division.> > "This is a reminder that> > when you look under a rock, sometimes you find> > something pretty awful."> > > > The lawyers want the lawsuit to be a class action> > that will cover both past> > and future workers and job applicants at> > Abercrombie.> > > > Eduardo Gonzalez, a junior at Stanford University,> > said that when he applied> > last August to the Abercrombie store in Santa> Clara,> > Calif., a manager said> > he should apply for the stock room or an overnight> > position.> > > > "It was like, wow, they're pushing me to the only> > nonvisible jobs, they> > don't want me to be seen in public," Mr. Gonzalez> > said. "And it was weird:> > all the store's posters were white, blond-haired,> > blue-eyed."> > > > Soon after, a nearby Banana Republic hired him.> > > > "If you look at a store like Banana Republic," Mr.> > Gonzalez said, "there's a> > huge difference. Banana Republic has almost all> > minorities working there."> > > > Copyright 2003 The New York Times Company Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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