Les Schwab Tire Centers Agrees To Pay $2,000,000 To Settle Hiring Discrimination Case Involving Females

SEATTLE  -- The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced today that  it has resolved its gender-based hiring class lawsuit against Les Schwab Tire Centers  of Washington,  et al., and Les Schwab Tire Warehouse, Inc. for $2,000,000 and other corrective  measures.

The EEOC's  suit (Case No. 06-045-RSM) in U.S. District Court for the Western District of  Washington (Seattle) claimed that Les Schwab had failed to hire qualified women  for Sales & Service (tire changing) jobs at its stores in Washington,  Oregon, California, Idaho, Montana, Nevada and Utah starting in 2004.

"While the parties have engaged  in extensive litigation the past four years, we are pleased to work with Les  Schwab to bring this case to a resolution and to start a new era of  cooperation," EEOC Regional Attorney William Tamayo said. "This resolution allows Les Schwab and  the women who the EEOC represents to move forward."

Mike Baldonado, EEOC San Francisco District  Director, whose responsibility includes Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana, stated,  "The EEOC will continue to investigate employers and industries that have  put women in certain types of jobs, and men in others. We hope Les Schwab becomes a model employer  of women in the male-dominated tire industry."

In addition to the monetary amount, Les Schwab agrees  to maintain its anti-discrimination policies and procedures and  anti-discrimination training for all its managers, assistant managers and  employees about Title VII and sex-based discrimination. The company will also provide periodic  reports to the EEOC on its compliance with the terms of the consent decree.

According to  the company's web site, www.lesschwab.com,  there are over 400 Les Schwab Tire Centers in Washington,  Oregon, Idaho,  Montana, California,  Utah and Nevada.  The company is based in Bend,  Oregon.

The EEOC enforces the nation's laws in the private and  federal sectors prohibiting employment discrimination based on race, color, sex,  pregnancy, religion, national origin, age and disability. San Francisco District's jurisdiction  includes Northern California, Northern Nevada, Alaska,  Idaho, Montana,  Oregon, and Washington. Further information about the  EEOC is available on its web site at www.eeoc.gov.