House Leaders Push Weakened Rights Bill
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Seeking to shore up support among Southern members of Congress, House Democratic leaders are asking supporters of a civil rights bill to accept limits on Federal jury awards to female victims of employment discrimination. Such a move would be a significant retreat for the bill’s supporters, who tried this year to shift the focus of the debate to women’s rights to avoid the issue of quotas. There are no limits on jury awards to victims in race discrimination cases, and the attempt to impose them on awards to women has angered members of the Congressional Women’s Caucus that a civil rights bill would establish unequal sets of court awards. Equality in Damages Sought “If a woman in the workplace is discriminated against, and the court finds intentional discrimination has been practiced,” said Representative Patsy T. Mink, Democrat of Hawaii, “she ought to be able to get the same in damages as any other worker in the workplace.” While current law permits unlimited damages to victims of racial discrimination, it allows courts to grant only back pay to plaintiffs who are women, as well as to those who are disabled or who are members of a religious minority. To address that inequity, the pending civil rights bill would remove all restrictions on awards for intentional discrimination. More : query.nytimes.com |