AboutSonia Pressman Fuentes Expertise I am an author, public speaker, feminist leader and lawyer. I was the first woman attorney in the Office of the General Counsel at the EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission) and a founder of WEAL (Women`s Equity Action League) and FEW (Federally Employed Women). I am an expert in the field of women`s rights to be free of employment discrimination based on sex.
Experience I spent eight years as an attorney with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and worked for one year as a volunteer attorney with the Montgomery County, MD, Human Relations Commission. I have lectured all over the world and the U.S. on women's rights to be free of employment discrimination based on sex and had articles on the subject published in newspapers, magazines, and journals and on the Internet. I also spent 11 years with multinational corporations in the field of EEO and labor law.
Organizations I belong to NOW and the Veteran Feminists of America nationally and the Brandeis University National Women's Committee in Sarasota, FL. I am a member of the board of Americans United for the Separation of Church and State in Sarasota, FL.
Publications See my Web site at http://www.erraticimpact.com/fuentes for articles written by me, information on my memoir, "Eat First--You Don't Know What They'll Give You, The Adventures of an Immigrant Family and Their Feminist Daughter," and interviews of me.
Education/Credentials I have an LLB from the University of Miami School of Law in Florida.
Awards and Honors I received a superior performance award at the EEOC and was inducted into the Maryland Women's Hall of Fame, among other awards and honors.
Question I need some advice please. I work for the top Law Enforcement Agency in my state, and have for almost 7 years, I have a combined service for various Law Enforcement Agencies of 13 years. Recently, I applied for a promotion. I went to my supervisor, who would also be the supervisor of the promotion, and asked him what I could do to improve so that in the interview I could tell them that I was given specific things to change and I have done those. He said "there are a few things" I said 'what are they?' He said "well, your make-up" I was shocked, I asked "my make-up? I wear that everyday, I have an uneven complextion." He said, "I understand, so do I", and then he said, "well, the fact that you are a single mom may be an issue, there may be times where you are called in to work at 3:00 a.m. for a manhunt". I just had to leave his office at that point. I contacted my immediate supervisor and told him about the conversation, he told me that I should contact our Employee Assistance Program to talk to a Psychologist, and perhaps I was being paranoid. I then filed a complaint with our professional standards division, they refered my complaint to our Human Resources due to the violation being an EEOC issue and not a Department issue. Is this going to get swept under the rug? I fear whistle blowing, and thought very hard about hiring an attorney, but no one wants to take on the State. Are these comments an EEOC violation? I cannot find anything specific about discrimination due to family status in the EEOC Codes. Can you tell me where to find it if it even exists? Thank you!
Answer Hi:
There is no way I can know whether your agency will sweep this under the rug. Your immediate supervisor's saying perhaps you were paranoid is certainly not a hopeful sign.
The supervisor's comments about your makeup and your inability to be called in at 3:00 a.m. because you are a single mom sound to me like statements violative of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1965, the law administered by the EEOC, especially if the supervisor doesn't make similar comments to male employees.
I cannot tell you where you would find such cases since I'd need to do legal research to find that and do not have the time for that, nor is that within the purview of my responsibility as an expert for this Web site, but they should not be all that hard to find. Discrimination against women because they are single, mothers, or wear makeup would clearly be discriminatory statements.
I don't know what you mean by "EEOC Codes." There is Title VII and many court cases interpreting Title VII. You have a limited period of time under Title VII within which to file a complaint and you might first have to file with the appropriate state or local agency.
You don't need an attorney to file a charge with the EEOC, but as you know that may have repercussions and you'd need to consider whether you want to do that. Having an attorney, who might file suit, might get you to court, if necessary, where the EEOC charge might not. But you must start with the EEOC or the State or local agency.
I don't know the time frame of your Human Resources section handling your complaint. When will you get an answer from them?
If you want to discuss with an attorney, I would hope you'd be able to find one by contacting your local Women's Bar Association, chapter of NOW, or the ACLU.
