[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 54 (Wednesday, April 24, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E609-E610]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 MITSUBISHI MOTORS STILL DOESN'T GET IT--PROTESTING THE EEOC SUIT DOES 
                    NOT DEAL WITH SEXUAL HARASSMENT

                                 ______


                            HON. TOM LANTOS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 23, 1996

  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, like many of my colleagues I was both amused 
and appalled by the actions yesterday of the Mitsubishi Motor 
Manufacturing of America. In response to a suit filed by the U.S. Equal 
Opportunity Commission [EEOC] alleging sexual harassment of female 
workers at its Normal, IL, manufacturing plant, Mitsubishi chartered 59 
buses to carry employees of the company plant in

[[Page E610]]

Normal to Chicago, where they held a protest rally outside the EEOC 
office there. Mitsubishi not only paid for the buses, they also closed 
the assembly line for two full shifts, they paid regular salaries to 
those workers who made the trip to Chicago, and they provided lunch for 
the protesters.
  Mr. Speaker, this is not the way we in the United States settle 
discrimination suits. Under the rule of law, these issues are decided 
upon in a court of law based upon their merits. The EEOC is a Federal 
agency entrusted with enforcing our country's laws against 
discrimination based on race, sex, religion, age, etc. That agency 
takes seriously those responsibilities, and it does not file frivolous 
lawsuits. A protest outside the EEOC's office in Chicago indicates to 
me that Mitsubishi's legal case must be particularly weak. In addition, 
a rowdy protest does not strike me as doing anything to resolve the 
serious legal issues involved here. It may, however, be beneficial to 
the careers of the American managers of the Normal plant.
  Second, Mr. Speaker, this protest strikes me as a tactic to pressure 
the workers at the Mitsubishi plant to oppose the EEOC suit. Those who 
went to Chicago to protest against the sexual harassment suit publicly 
signed a list to indicate their intention to go to Chicago. Those 
employees who chose not to go were forced to appear at the factory in 
order to be paid. Clearly the way in which that protest was organized 
put intolerable pressure on Mitsubishi employees. Such pressure tactics 
against its employees should be firmly condemned.
  Third, Mr. Speaker, based on some of my own activities here in the 
Congress, there is sound basis for concern about the real possibility 
of sexual harassment in this case. For 6 years during the 100th through 
the 102d Congresses, I had the privilege of serving as Chairman of the 
Subcommittee on Employment and Housing of the Government Operations 
Committee. During that period of time I held a series of hearings on 
``Employment Discrimination by Japanese Firms in the United States'' 
(July 23, August 8, September 24, 1991, and February 26 and June 18, 
1992). We found a pervasive pattern of lack of sensitivity to issues of 
discrimination by a number of Japanese firms. Among our very serious 
concerns was strong evidence of sexual discrimination.
  What our hearings found was a surprising and very disturbing 
insensitivity on the part of Japanese management to American laws and 
American practices against sexual harassment and against sexual 
discrimination. Mr. Speaker, these practices by Japanese management 
were exposed and in some cases changes were made by the firms involved, 
but I would be surprised indeed to find that these problems have been 
eliminated completely. Clearly if the EEOC charges are true, it 
reflects a serious lack of sensitivity on the part of Mitsubishi 
management, and that management has the responsibility to see that 
sexual harassment does not take place at its plant.
  Mr. Speaker, I commend the EEOC for its vigilance in dealing with 
these serious charges, and I urge the Commission to move forward. These 
charges should be completely aired and resolved through our legal 
system. I also urge the management of Mitsubishi to put aside its 
tawdry and counterproductive public relations tactics and respect the 
rights of its own workers.

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