Owners of the Mondrain Hotel, a West Hollywood hotspot, have
agreed to pay nine bellmen instalments of approximately $120,000 for the next
three years, the total reaching $1.08 million. The bellmen were dismissed form
their jobs just prior to the Hotel´s re-opening in 1996.
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)
filed the lawsuit on behalf of the bellmen who claimed that the firings were
racially motivated; eight of the nine were minorities. Their 15 replacements
were all white. Evidence brought forth by EEOC attorneys included a memo
written by the hotel owner, Ian Schrager, where he commented that certain
employees were "too ethnic" and a desire to hire more "cool looking" employees.
In a deposition, he attempted to amend his statement by claiming that the
ethnic mention was in reference to the amount of tattoos that the employees
had. Schrager has yet to comment on the settlement.
Schrager had purchased the Mondrain in 1995 after it had
fallen into bankruptcy. He oversaw the nine-month renovation, and reopened the
hotel with the intent of attracting the Hollywood elite. Four days prior to the
opening, the nine bellmen were notified of their dismissal, eight out of the
nine had at least seven years of service at the hotel. At the time of the
firing, the bellmen were making the minimum wage plus tips. Attorneys for the
nine men claimed that job performance was never an issue. The firings were
inspired by some other factor. Comparing the racial makeup prior to and after
the re-opening it is obvious that race played a role.
Lawyers handling the case for EEOC believe that the hotel
has made an effort to fix the problem (L.A. Times August 9, 2000). However,
both state and federal commissions will continue to monitor the hotel´s hiring
practices.
The lawsuit against the Mondrain had accused the hotel of
failure to comply with Title
VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, prohibiting employment discrimination
based on an individual´s race, color, religion, sex or national origin. For
more information about the EEOC and the Civil Rights Act go to www.eeoc.gov .