Bridgestone/Firestone

[Anonymous <no_email@fake.address>]

I had been working for Bridgestone for 5yrs at which time an opening in another department became available.
This department was an all male department. Since I have been in this department I have been discriminated 
against by my dept. manager and immediate supervisor.  The rules for absentism,
use of vacation time were different for me than my male co-workers. I was told that I only had to be treated
fairly---not equally. I confronted these issuses with my manager and supervisor with only results of hostility.
I then approached our HR dept and filed an offical complaint for sex discrimination. After their so called investigation
I was told that I just misunderstood things that were said. After filing within the company it only made conditions 
worse in my work area. Retalation then began and so I proceeded to file a complaint with the E.E.O.C..  The 
E.E.O.C. done thier lengthy investigation and found cause to believe that sex descrimination had occured. Bridgestone
continued to deny this claim and then proceeded to put me in level I for behavoir. I was required to take several classes
which were not even offered at our learning center at the time.  I did finally have the opportunity to take these classes
in a classroom all by myself. I then filed a charge with the E.E.O.C. for retalation and once again they found cause to 
believe that retalation had occured. Bridgestone still denied any charges and failed to concilate. The E.E.O.C. then issused 
me 2 right to sue letters ( one for each charge). I hired an attorney and he failed to file the first charge within the 90 day
time frame and did manage to file the 2nd charge ( retalation). These past 3 years have been very stressful and long. I 
continue to work at Bridgestone and for the same people. I am a single parent and cannot afford to just walk out. I have kept 
pages of notes and data to support my accusations. I was asked why I just didn't move to another department--get away 
from it all?, why do I have to be the one to fight this issue?, if it's so bad why don't you just quit? My answer-- what if
everyone said that?, where would we all be? , someone has to have the guts to fight back. I may not win my case if it gets in court
but maybe it will make some think twice before they abuse the next female worker just because they feel powerful and have the 
authority. I have been discriminated, retaliated, intimated, and humilated. My co workers have suffered a great deal on my behalf
and I thank them dearly for thier support but also I know hostility exists now towards me by some of my co workers and I just hope 
that maybe someday I could have just a little part of helping protect their wives, mothers, daughters, or sisters from being 
treated differently because they are females.