Articles Posted in Virginia
EEOC Charge alleges COSTCO Vice President Paul Pulver failed to stop racial harassment
These facts are taken from the EEOC Charge against COSTCO. The victim and harasser’s names have been changed. For many years, “Jay,” a Costco Wholesale employee in Newport News, Virginia, endured racial harassment from his coworker, “Sharon.” Jay is Egyptian. Sharon regularly mocked his accent, made derogatory gestures suggesting he had a bad smell, sprayed Lysol toward him, and encouraged coworkers to ridicule him, because of his race, national origin and ethnicity. Despite repeatedly reporting these incidents to management for many years the harassment continued.
When he complained to his Front-End Manager on September 20, 2023, the Manager replied that she “can’t force employees to respect” him. An Operations Manager later acknowledged the harassment, but rather than helping to end it, suggested that Jay transfer to another warehouse for a “fresh start.”
On October 11, 2024 Jay escalated his concerns to the Store Manager who responded by saying there’s “something to earning an employee’s respect.” Even after bringing the issues to Costco Vice President Paul Pulver in mid-October 2024 the harassment continued.
A Newport News, Virginia welder for Skanska USA Building, Inc. was sexually harassed by her high-level supervisor—then abruptly fired when she refused to entertain his advances – according to recently filed EEOC Charge.
Nakeya Livermon worked as a welder for Skanska, where she participated in building infrastructure for the Portsmouth waterside. Livermon was the only female welder on site. She was known to be an excellent welder, in an industry that has few female welders at all.
As her foreman noted:
Skanska featured Livermon in its promotional materials, making her a spotlight during Women in Construction Week