EEOC Cites Harassment at Mitsubishi Plant

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said 289 women were victims of sexual harassment at Mitsubishi Motor Manufacturing of America’s Normal, Ill., plant, specifying for the first time the number of women the agency believes were victimized. The list includes women who were harassed as well as those who witnessed harassment, said Steven Levine, an EEOC attorney. “We believe that those women who witnessed sexual harassment have been in effect harassed themselves,” Levine said. “Witnessing the abuse would substantially affect the women’s work environment.” The identification of alleged victims, first reported by the Chicago Tribune, is the latest development in a lawsuit filed by the EEOC against the company last year. Mitsubishi Motor Manufacturing, a subsidiary of Japan’s Mitsubishi Motors Corp., denies the charges.