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Hostile Work Environments
A Fayette Circuit Court jury recently awarded an African
American man $55,001 against the former owner of the
Campbell House Inn for allowing a hostile work environment
to exist. The jury's award Was $1 for actual damages and
$55,000 for punitive damages.
According to newspaper reports, the man worked in the
kitchen and brought food to the waitresses for delivery to
patrons of the restaurant. A waitress called him the N-word,
and told him to get his "black a_ _" into the kitchen last year.
The next day the man went to the owner to complain and was
told that since blacks call whites "honky" and "whitey", whites
should not be reprimanded for returning similar insults.
The jury found that the employee had to endure a hostile
work environment on account of his race. Although the man
also claimed he was fired, the jury did not reach that conclusion.
Nevertheless, it awarded damages due to the lax attitude of the
employer toward racial slurs on the job.
Under both Kentucky and federal law, employers have an
obligation to insure that their employees are not subjected to
threats, harassment or humiliation which discriminates against
them based on race, sex, color, religion, disability or age.
Employers are liable if they are aware of the harassment, or
should have been aware, and fail to implement prompt and
appropriate corrective action.
Racial slurs in and of themselves do not necessarily give
way to a lawsuit for discrimination. The Supreme Court has
said that remarks of fellow employees which are insensitive or
inappropriate must often be lived with by all members of
society. However, when the remarks are allowed to continue
and interfere with an employee's ability to perform his or her
job, they can become subject to a lawsuit.
Ultimately, it is up to a jury to determine whether a situation
has crossed the line and to what extent an employer is liable.
In this case, it was obvious that the employer's attitude toward
the employee's complaints was a major factor in the case. In
fact, even the employer's attorney was insensitive to the
situation, arguing to the jury that if tappers could use the N-
word without repercussion, others should also be able to.
Had the employer been more sensitive to the employee's
complaints and situation, the case would never have gone this
far. It is very unlikely the suit would have even been filed if the
employer had reprimanded or warned the waitress to refrain
from racial insults.
When an employee's supervisor acts in this manner, a
number of factors enter into whether the employer can be held
responsible. The amount of control of the supervisor as well as
the actions of the employer to monitor work conditions are
major considerations.
Also important is whether the employer has adopted policies
against harassment or intimidation, and whether there are
mechanisms in place to address employee complaints.
In the Campbell House Inn case, the jury obviously found
that the employee had not actually shown an.y objective
damages such medical expenses,, lost wages, or the like.
Nevertheless, it awarded punitive damages. This is permissible
under law in order to punish the employer for his actions or
failure to act, and to warn other employers of the same.
Employers should thus beware for they have an obligation
under the law to insure their employees are not subjected to
intimidation, humiliation, or harassment by either supervisors
or fellow employees. The Campbell House Inn has learned.
Sports is still an important and integral part
of education as we look forward to the
Next week, Bath County Schools
will reopen for the fall 2003-20(M
school year.
We can only hope that students,
faculty, parents and school adminis-
trators, can look forward to a new
year, with sensible leadership, opti-
mism, and unbiased opinions in
which to lead them into a new chap-
ter in school history.
With a great deal of turmoil in
schools these days, both financially
and politically, it is crucial that deci-
sions are financially feasible and do
not come at the detriment of other
critical programs. At best, it is a
high-wire balancing act that requires
school financiers to stay on their toes
to commit only to realistic invest-
ments that have shown proven
rLlrns.
There are many programs in our
current curriculum that need atten-
tion and funding. Certainly academ-
ics have to be a top priority. But
other programs often prove to create
a career for students that can pay
their way to a college or university.
Athletics are never as important to
anyone as the parents who have stu-
dents who are compelled to play
sports. And athletics often provide
the motivation to keep youths inter-
ested in school.
It has been way too long since
Bath County has made a name for
itself in any particular sports pro-
gram.
In the next several years, a genera-
tion of young athletes will be step-
ping up to the high school level, that
are a bit more skilled as the result of
involvement at some very early
ages.
As parents, we must encourage
these young athletes to excel and
teach them to accept nothing but the
highest levels of achievement.
As a relatively small school, we
have come to expect to fall prey to
many larger schools with numerous
talented athletes. It is possible to
compete with these schools if we as
parents, coaches and fans, show our
support and insist we have the same
tools as other schools, to make our
programs competitive.
Currently, there, are numerous
coaching positions vacant school-
wide. Regardless of how or why this
has come about, it provides us with
an opporttmity to start with a dean
slate and insist that the foundation
for progressive athletic programs get
underway so that our children can be
a part of a thriving system that
instills sportsmanship, teamwork,
and achievement, regardless of the
various obstacles along the way.
We owe this to our kids.
As parents, we have attended
countless games where we have
been unable to compete with other
schools. As disheartening as it is to
parents, it is even more discouraging
for our children to suffer embarass-
ing losses over and over.
Granted, winning is not every-
thing, but we have to provide our
youths with the training and confi-
dence to be successful which are
the same essentials for success in
life.
Having traveled to many otlmr
schools in and around the area, we
have also witnessed the importance
of exhibiting good sportsmanship.
It is often difficult to get a fair
shake from officials when we are not
on our home court or field. Heck, we
have seen poor officiating at home
games as well, but having witnessed
coaches throw fits and tantmwa at
various games, we have seen how
iportant it is that our own children
am taught to be good sportsmen.
We all realize that not all games
will have the desired outcome, but it
is still crucial that we behave like
ladies and gentlemen.
letic are
fact, many have
Still, we are
ingredients to
programs.
Sometimes is
to start a
several star
to lead the team,
coach who knows how
most from his
attainable for our
the work, play fairly,
everything we have.
In academic
dents have stood with
often prevailed.
There is no reason w¢
same ou the court,
a track or tennis coua.
A new
ers is coming forth as
the ranks as
may
set by their
classes. Let's at least
with the e
and direction to face
lenges of the future
them prepared in
lives as they
ents like us, interested in €
for their children's
sucos$.
For the birds bathing
• . . . . . . Winter and great white
It has always been my contention that bathing in the --RMn nylon industry, the Vectra thing sounds great. I t
winter was for the birds and now I have support from the
most authoritative gentleman, Doc Brady, who writes a
daily column for newspapers.
Nature secretes its own skin conditioner called sebum,
which lubricates your hide and keeps it from cracking.
Warm water and soap removes this sebum, leaving the
skin dry and unprotected. And this leads to winter itch.
And that's what you get from being too danged clean in
the wintertime.
If'n you're brave enough to face the all-winter itch and
insist in soaking your hide in a bathtub, you can give
yourself a lube job afterwards with sesame oil, lanolin or
even cold cream and maybe stay one scratch ahead of this
irritation.
There was a time when a smell went a long way. You
could tell a farmer, blacksmith, butcher or baker in one
short whiff. But deodorants have changed all that. Now
only the most uncouth carry the odor of their profession
with them. Anyone can afford an aerosol can of high-
powered lilac juice and a couple of squirts can transform
anyone from the barnyard to the tearoom without going
near a waterspout.
In the county where I was raised, one mother "sewed
in" her kids for the winter and they didn't get any winter
itch or stufflike that. It's true, by early spring the children
gota mite overripe and it took some fortitude to stay next
to them when you didn't have a bad cold. But they got
through the winter without an oil change and probably
were just as healthy as the rest of us who got a bath once
in a while.
Like I said, winter bathing is for the birds, because they
can do it in Florida.
RM
And we thought we were having troubles until we read
where a Washington newspaper, instead of inserting a
want ad in the "Situation Wanted" classified section by a
woman seeking employment, inserted it under the "Breed-
ers" section.
Changing Times magazine has come up with some
shocking figures. It says to raise a child to age 18, it costs
the average middle class city family $35,000.
The price tag for raising a child to age 18 runs around
$12,000 for a family with very modest standard of living,
and as high as $65,000 or more for a pampered, upper
bracket urbanite. A comfortable off farm family might
spend around $20,000.
Whewl
First thing right off, I'm out of the "pampered" or the
middle class kid raising departments, but even the so
called "very modest" standard of living" makes me shiver
in my boots. Those lollipops sure do run into money.
Only thing wrong with the article, it came out 20 years
too late to help me.
nRM--
Show me an average husband and I'll show you a fellow
who has heard the anguished cry, "Oh, I've mined my
nylons" a blue million times. But he can take hope. That
may well be a vanishing cry of pain from the women
people.
A sheer synthetic fiber, called Vectra, promises no run
and no snag and is said to make a trim ankle just as
attractive as any nylon, even though it contains qualities
used in tarpaulins and outdoor carpeting.
Nylons hit the market just prior to World War II and just
in time to become a hot item on the black market when
supplies became limited. And now no self-respecting
lady would go to a hog killing without her nylons on.
As a docile husband who has invested his share in the
waiting a spell until the company gets the
runners out of their products.
RM
A crew of great white hunters, led by Henry;
returning from a bird hunting safari into
County when Henry began telling
to prepare the game they had bagged--one
feeble to fly higher than a sassafras bush.
"Now, I read what ones outdoorsman said about'
wild game." Henry told the boys. "He clair#
average American housewife doesn't know
game so's it is fitten for a dog to eat."
Wild game ought to hang outside a "cool out"
days before you begin fixing it, Henry went ott
shooting buddies. Deer should be gutted but
but birds should be hung up whole and
three days. Then the birds should be 1
-and dressed for the pan.
They all agreed that hanging up the
of cooling might work, but none of them
to pull any plug's out of a bird's craw after it
that long. So I guess none of those
-are ever going to know what aged grouse
Most of us like a little age on our Bourbon,
furniture, but prefer a little freshness in our
and woods groceries.
-RM-
The female crocodile lays 3,000 eggs arid
crocodile eats 2,999 of them.
Maybe this choice tidbit of useless
shake you up too much, but you have to
wasn't for the male crocodile, we'd be up in our
crocodiles.
-RM-
"The real destroyer of the liberties of the:
spreads among them bounties, donations,
Who said this? A fellow named Plato more
years ago.
Onward, Upward.
