When I was a teenager working my first job at the Cake Box bakery in Queens, N.Y., my dad used to peek through the store window to make sure I was okay. I never let on that I saw him. He wanted me to be independent but just had trouble letting go.
Turns out my dad may have had the right idea, according to a government lawyer who just settled a rape case involving two teenage Taco Bell employees in Memphis, TN, who were molested by the store manager.
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission announced yesterday that Taco Bell Corp. agreed to pay $350,000 in damages to two girls who suffered the most egregious type of sexual harassment at the hands of their boss, one at the store and the other at her home.
The EEOC attorney William Cash who worked on the case is still sickened by the events the agency uncovered that involved two young kids doing the responsible thing, working at their first jobs.
Terence Davis, the manager/rapist, who is now in jail serving two concurrent eight-year terms, raped the first employee at her home in 2005 after going to her house on the guise that he wanted to drop off her pay check and then forcing his way in, Cash explained. And the other teen was raped five months later, in April 2006, on her first day on the job when Davis followed her into a store cooler.
At first, Cash said, the EEOC was only aware of the second girl’s rape, but during the investigation discovered that another girl had also been raped by the same manager.
“We had information that a female assistant manager was aware in March of 2006 that the first rape had occurred,” Cash explained. “She didn’t take any precautions to protect other girls.”
Taco Bell, the company, he added, bears responsibility for how things turned out. “This is a business that makes their money off of teenagers paid minimum wage. They didn’t take appropriate precautions,” he stressed. “What you would hope is companies, through recruiting, hiring and training of people take appropriate steps to make sure people they put in place hiring 16 year-olds would not engage in this type of conduct.”
I called Taco Bell and I was emailed a statement from a spokesman Rob Poetsch regarding the case:
“The health and safety of our employees and customers is our top priority, and we have zero tolerance for workplace harassment of any kind. As soon as we learned of these allegations, we took immediate action and terminated the employment of the person in question. While we are outraged that this situation occurred, we are committed to maintaining a workplace free from harassment in all of our restaurants.”
This situation is particularly disturbing for me because I’ve written a lot about how important it is for teenagers to work real jobs not just concentrate on school work. Many studies show a job helps teenagers build confidence and responsibility.
I still believe that, and want my kids to work when they hit their teens. But, when I heard about this case it made me realize we can’t just throw kids out into the real world without some guidance.
Grown women and even men still grapple with sexual harassment in the workplace, so it’s being naive to think our kids won’t ever fall victim to that.
The EEOC’s Cash said parents should be vigilant when they send kids out on their first gigs.
“I think parents should meet the manager, or the person supervising their child,” he advised, adding that a good company and good employer would understand a mom or dad wanting to make sure their teen is in a safe environment.
“A lot of these kids, not just in the Taco Bell case but other cases I’ve had, have never been in the workplace before,” he continued. “I don’t think they always absorb how inappropriate some of these comments that are made are, graphic sexual comments, or sexual overtures.”
Helping kids understand what to expect is a good idea, especially right now when so many parents struggling to make ends meet are encouraging their teens to help out by getting a job and covering some of their own expenses. That will put extra pressure on kids to stay in a job even if there is harassment, Cash pointed out, because teens will want to make their parents happy and also continue having a cell phone or car.
“I had a young lady tell me she had a car payment to make and that’s why she tolerated that type of conduct at work,” he said.
So bottom line, teens — no money or desire to please your parents is worth being harassed at work. And parents — time to have another talk with your kids about strangers, this time, strangers at work.
As for my father’s spying on me at work when I was a teen, Cash said: “Your dad may have had a good idea.”
If my dad were alive today I’d thank him.
September 1st, 2009 at 11:14 am
What a sad story. While parents may want to check out their kids’ employers, I can’t think of one teen who would actually welcome their parents doing any such thing. And, let’s face it, many perpetrators of crimes (sexual or otherwise) can come across like really nice people. Many know how to put up a front, just like many ‘normal’ people do in a variety of social situations.
It seems that there were many opportunities to take action to prevent the second incident, but, from the limited information presented here, it is difficult to say that the company was aware of the manager’s behavior. Hind sight is, as they say, always 20/20.
1) The fact that the assistant manager was aware of the first incident could suggest that she was negligent in failing to report the manager’s actions. We do not know if Taco Bell policy had a formal reporting structure (e.g., whistleblower number, ombudsmen office) in place for reporting such behavior. The assistant manager was also under the manager’s authority, so that might have prevented her from acting. Still, most would agree that she had a moral and ethical responsibility to report the behavior.
2) We do not know at what point law enforcement became involved–if at all. If a complaint was filed regarding the first incident, I wonder if Taco Bell’s corporate offices were contacted by the investigating officer(s). Taco Bell’s response to your enquiry makes it sound like they were unaware of the first incident. It is possible that, since the rape was perpetrated at the victim’s residence, that law enforcement did not even consider the workplace angle.
3) If the first incident were reported as a crime, and if the manager was not a minor, I wonder how such a story would not have been considered newsworthy by local media sources. Had the story been covered, public awareness would have been greater, and it is possible that Taco Bell’s corporate offices would have learned of the offense earlier rather than later.
September 1st, 2009 at 11:22 am
The store manager was 34 at the time of the rape, and it has also perplexed me why this story hasn’t gotten much coverage at all.
You’re right, most kids would not welcome their parents getting involved, but it’s a good idea that parents know who their younger kids are working for, especially those kids who have never had any exposure to the job market.
September 1st, 2009 at 2:13 pm
This is incredibly sad. Teens are CHILDREN, after all, so perhaps it’s time to require companies who employ them to background check the adults who supervise them?
I remember how excited I was when I started my first job (supermarket cashier). I was so eager to enter the working world. It’s crushing to think that these teen-aged girls likely started their first job with the same high hopes.