$1.68 Million Settlement reached in Sex Discrimination Case Against Tulare County Grape Grower  - A Victory For  All Female Workers

BAKERSFIELD – Kovacevich 5 Farms, based in Delano and Earlimart, agreed to pay $1.68 million to settle a federal lawsuit for refusing to hire women. The 2006 lawsuit involved six female applicants who allegedly were turned away by K-5 solely because of their gender. The case was brought as a class action by the six female plaintiffs who are represented  by Marcos Camacho of the Law Office of Marcos Camacho and Tomas Olmos of Allred, Maroko & Goldberg.  The law suit was also joined by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

According to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, after an investigating of the charges filed by the six farm workers, the agency found that the grower hired zero women between 1998 and 2002 despite filling approximately 300 seasonal farm work positions every year.

The settlement is a victory for all women in the work force, but mainly for farm worker women who are often afraid or unaware of their rights, said United Farm Workers President Arturo Rodriguez.

“This is a great victory for all women in California and the country who labor in the agricultural industry. Hopefully, the fine imposed to K-5 farms will set a precedent and show that blatant discrimination will not be tolerated,” Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez also hopes the case will encourage other women to speak up and fight for their rights.

“These are brave women,” said Rodriguez referring to the six farm workers. “They are brave because they were willing to speak up when other women would have not.”

Armando Elenes, UFW external organizer director, who works with farm workers in the Central Valley, said the Kovacevich 5 Farms’ scenario is rather common.

“We know many more instances are occurring but need more brave women to step forward so we can stop this practice,” he said.

“Farm workers are subjected to terrible working conditions with miserable pay, but female farm workers incur the greatest risks of bias, harassment and discrimination.”

EEOC encourages women who wish to be considered as part of this class of women discriminated by K-5 Farms to contact EEOC staffer Maricela Medina at (408) 291-7354.

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