The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission sued Bass Pro Shops on Wednesday, alleging that stores illegally discriminated against black and Hispanic workers and job applicants, retaliated against employees who raised questions and destroyed records.
The nine-page suit, filed in U.S. District Court in Houston, cited examples in Houston, Louisiana, Alabama and Indiana in alleging a national pattern of discrimination at Bass Pro, which has 57 stores in the United States and Canada. The suit didn't cite examples at Bass Pro's Grapevine store."We could have filed a much longer complaint, but we chose not to," said Jim Sacher, regional attorney for the EEOC in Houston, which ran the investigation.Bass Pro denied the allegations and questioned the EEOC's evidence and analysis. The company said it cooperated with the investigation and maintains that it has long-standing policies and practices that bar discrimination."When violations are discovered, as is inevitable in any large organization with thousands of employees, they are promptly and firmly addressed," Bass Pro said.Bass Pro, based in Springfield, Mo., also accused the EEOC of harboring stereotypes against people "who love outdoor sports and conservation" and noted that Bass Pro supports numerous philanthropic programs that help inner-city youths.The EEOC began looking into initial complaints six years ago, and its district director in Houston completed the investigation in April 2010 with a rare finding of discrimination, Sacher said. It has been unable to reach a settlement with the company.The EEOC said Bass Pro "routinely denied" retail jobs to qualified blacks and Hispanics that included part- and full-time clerk, cashier, customer relations, greeter, loss prevention, receiving clerk, sales associate, stock, lead, and supervisory and management.One example cited in the suit: a Houston-area general manager who told the store human-resources manager in 2005 that it's "getting a little dark in here; you need to hire some white people."Bass Pro said it didn't understand the EEOC's analysis."Despite our cooperation, the EEOC made unrealistic demands during conciliation," said Mike Rowland, vice president of human resources. "The EEOC cannot or will not tell us the basis for the analysis they claim to have conducted. Fundamental fairness and good faith should require that the EEOC reveal the evidence on which its claims are based before filing a lawsuit that will be long, expensive and disruptive."Scott Nishimura, 817-390-7808Have more to add? News tip? Tell us
