An analysis of a database compiled by the authors from claims recorded by the Ohio Civil Rights Commission found that three causes of action accounted for most employment-discrimination claims against restaurants in that state. Those causes are (in decreasing order of frequency) race, sex, and retaliation. When the restaurants are analyzed according to type, however, the frequency of claims changes. One particular change of note is the rise of retaliation claims, which overwhelmingly follow complaints based on other causes. This cause of action merits attention from restaurant operators because a retaliation claim can continue even if the original complaint fails or is dropped.
U.S. Census Bureau, Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2004-2005, Table 574, “Characteristics of the Civilian Labor Force by State: 2003,”www.census.gov/prod/2004pubs/04statab/labor.pdf (accessed September 11, 2005).
2.
Major Ohio Employers, Ohio Department of Development, November 2005, www.odod.state.oh.us/research/files/bl00000003.pdf (accessed November 8, 2005).
3.
Business Climate Rankings, Site Selection Online, November 2005, www.siteselection.com/issues/2005/nov/p701/(accessed December 2, 2005).
4.
U.S. Census Bureau, Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2004-2005, Table 574.
5.
Ibid., Table 612, “Employees in Nonfarm Establishments—States: 2003.”
6.
Ibid., Table 21, “Resident Population by Race, Hispanic or Latino Origin, and State: 2003,”www.census.gov/prod/2004pubs/04statab/pop.pdf.
7.
U.S. Census Bureau, “The Hispanic Population,” May 2001, p. 3-3, www.census.gov/prod/2001pubs/c2kbr01-3.pdf (accessed March 31, 2006).
8.
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) press release, “New Gallup Poll on Employment Discrimination Shows Progress, Problems 40 Years after Founding of EEOC,” December 8, 2005, p. 2-2, http://www.eeoc.gov.press/12-8-05.html (accessed April 1, 2006).
9.
National Restaurant Association, “The Restaurant Industry,”www.restaurant.org/pdfs/research/state/(accessed March 28, 2006).
10.
National Restaurant Association, “2006 Restaurant Industry Fact Sheet,”www.restaurant.org/research/2006factsheet.pdf (accessed March 28, 2006).
11.
Jury Verdict Research (JVR) News Release, “Jury Verdict Research Releases Employment-Practice Liability Study,” May 17, 2004, www.juryverdictresearch.com/Press_Room/Press_releases/Verdict_study/verdict_study9.html (accessed September 11, 2005).
12.
“EEOC and McDonald’s USA, LLC Sign Regional Universal Mediation Agreement,” August 15, 2005, http://www.eeoc.gov/press/8-17-05 (accessed September 16, 2005).
13.
EEOC press release, “New Gallup Poll on Employment Discrimination,”1-1.
14.
See www.starbucks.com/aboutus/environment.asp (accessed April 11, 2006).
15.
The bases of all claims against local quick-service restaurants for the twenty-one years of data were as follows: race (27 percent), sex (27 percent), retaliation (25 percent), disability (8 percent), age (4 percent), national origin (2 percent), and no basis cases (7 percent).
16.
See www.thehistorymakers.com/biography/biography.asp?bioindex=136 (accessed April 17, 2006).
17.
National Restaurant Association, “State of the Restaurant Industry Workforce: An Overview,”www.restaurant.org/pdfs/research/worfkforce_overview.pdf, p. 9-9.
18.
Ibid., 32, 34.
19.
Our data do not include direct reports of sexual harassment by customers. For a related article, see Eaton (2004).
20.
Press release, “EEOC and National Restaurant Association Partner to Address Employment Issues Affecting Teens,” November 30, 2004, http://www.eeoc.gov/press/11-30-04.html (accessed September 13, 2005).
21.
Summer 2006 should bring a decision in Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway Corp. v. White, in which it may delineate retaliatory employment actions.
22.
EEOC press release, “EEOC Makes Fight against Systemic Discrimination a Top Priority,”EEOC Press Release, April 4, 2006, www.eeoc.gov/press/4-4-06.html (accessed April 7, 2006).
23.
Adamson, J.2000. How Denny’s went from icon of racism to diversity award winner. Journal of Organizational Excellence20 (1): 68-68.
24.
Adamy, J.2006. Dunkin’ Donuts tries to go upscale, but not too far: Chain hopes focus on snacks, decor will lure new crowd without alienating “tribe.”Wall Street Journal, April 8-9, p. A1-A1.
25.
Bond, J., E. Galinsky, and J. Hill. 2002. When work works: Flexibility a critical ingredient in creating an effective workplace. Families and Work Institute. http://familiesandwork.org/3w/research/downloads/3w.pdf (accessed April 2, 2006).
26.
Brownell, J.2003. Applied research in managerial communication: The critical link between knowledge and practice. Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly44 (2): 44-44.
27.
Dixon, K., D. Storen, and C. Van Horn. 2002. A workplace divided: How Americans view discrimination and race on the job. January 17. New Brunswick, NJ/Storrs, CT: John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development, Rutgers University/Center for Survey Research and Analysis, University of Connecticut.
28.
Eaton, D. E.2004. Beyond room service: Legal consequences of sexual harassment of staff by hotel guests. Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly45 (4): 347-361.
29.
Galinsky, E., J. Bond, and D. Friedman. 1993. The changing workforce. New York: Families and Work Institute.
30.
Ghiselli, R., J. LaLopa, and B. Bai. 2001. Job satisfaction, life satisfaction, and turnover intent. Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly42 (2): 29-29.
31.
Holtom, B., T. Mitchell, T. Lee, and E. Inderrieden. 2005. Shocks as causes of turnover: What they are and how organizations can manage them. Human Resources Management44 (3): 339-339.
32.
Mayo, E.1933. The human problems of an industrial civilization. Boston: Harvard University Press.
33.
McGregor, J.2006. The world’s most innovative companies. Business Week, April 24, p. 65-65.
34.
Parsa, H., J. Self, D. Njite, and T. King. 2006. Why restaurants fail. Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly47: 12-12.
35.
Sharf, J., and D. Jones. 2000. Employment risk management. In Managing selection in changing organizations: Human resource strategies, ed. J. Kehoe, chap. 8, 271-318. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
36.
Sherwyn, D.2002. Arbitration of employment-discrimination lawsuits: Legalities, practicalities, and realities. Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly43 (6): 62-72.
37.
Sherwyn, D., M. Sturman, Z. Eigen, M. Heise, and J. Walwyn. 2001. The perversity of sexual-harassment law: Effects of recent rulings. Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly42 (3): 46-56.
38.
Sherwyn, D., and J. Tracey. 1998. Sexual-harassment liability in 1998. Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly39 (5): 14-21.
39.
Smith, T.2000. Taking America’s Pulse II. The National Conference for Community and Justice (NCCJ), from a survey conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates. May. New York: NCCJ.
40.
Werner, W. B., C. E. Hardigree, and S. Okada. 2005. Phantom benefits reconsidering mandatory arbitration. Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly46 (3): 363-375.
41.
White, E.2005. How to reduce turnover: Restaurant chain retains workers using rankings and rewards. Wall Street Journal, November 21, p. B5-B5.
42.
Woods, R., and R. Kavanaugh. 1994. Gender discrimination and sexual harassment as experienced by hospitality-industry managers. Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly35 (1): 20-20.
