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EMC Women Seek Class Action

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By MARK JEWELL, The Associated Press

Published: September 13, 2007

BOSTON - A sex-discrimination lawsuit by two former female employees of EMC Corp. describes a men's locker-room atmosphere at the data storage vendor's sales offices and alleges women were systematically denied equal pay and forced to accompany men on company-paid strip club visits.

A hearing is scheduled Monday in a bid to include all women who worked in sales at Hopkinton, Mass.-based EMC, the largest provider of data storage systems for corporate clients, from 2001 to 2004.

More than 40 women have alleged sex-discrimination by EMC in lawsuits, affidavits or complaints with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, plaintiffs' attorney Linda D. Friedman said.

On Wednesday, after The Wall Street Journal published an article about the discrimination cases, EMC's top executive sent his more than 33,000 employees a letter defending his company.

Joe Tucci, president, chairman and chief executive, said EMC strongly disputes the allegations and thinks they have no legal basis. 'More importantly, they bear no resemblance to the work environment and broad opportunities that have long existed for EMC employees around the world,' Tucci wrote.

The lawsuit was filed in federal court in Chicago in June 2004 by Tami Remien and Debra Fletcher, formerly of EMC's Chicago sales office.

Friedman said class-action certification would empower EMC's female sales workers to collectively press cases against a company that required new sales hires to sign agreements to resolve any individual employment disputes through confidential arbitration rather than through the courts.

The lawsuit does not specify a damages total being sought. It asks that the women be awarded past and future compensation and benefits they lost, as well as punitive damages and other relief.

The complaint alleges female sales employees were denied promotion opportunities and received lower pay than men, who were given the customer accounts with the highest sales potential.

'One of the most telling facts about EMC's view of women is that it was not until 2001 that EMC issued a formal announcement that the company would no longer reimburse client entertainment expenses for strip clubs,' the lawsuit says. 'Women at EMC were often forced to accompany their male co-workers and clients to strip clubs or male-oriented dining establishments like Hooters.'

EMC spokesman Mark Frederickson said EMC has not reimbursed strip club visits for as long as the 28-year-old company has been able to search back in its records.

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