Discrimination

They packed the House Economic Matters Committee room, an army of white, middle-aged-to-elderly men and women wearing Moose and Elk insignia on their lapels and good intentions on their sleeves.They came from across Maryland to protest (successfully, it turned out) a bill that would take away their clubs' liquor licenses because their national bylaws bar women from being members. They came to talk about all the good and charitable deeds they do, and how, without a liquor license, they wouldn't be able to raise enough money to keep doing them.

Anchorwoman Rudy Miller and the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission have settled their sex discrimination suits against WBAL-TV (Channel 11) and its former general manager Malcolm Potter, the station announced yesterday.The terms of the settlement were not disclosed."All claims have been dismissed . . . without any admission of liability by WBAL or Potter," Channel 11 said in a prepared statement issued late yesterday afternoon."I can't comment beyond that release," Station Manager Joseph Heston said yesterday.

I called the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission yesterday but, of course, there was no one there. So we'll have to wait until all nonessential personnel return to work to find out whether the EEOC thinks Hooters should be renamed, "Guys In Orange Shorts."Extreme? I dunno. Not when you consider how the EEOC wants Hooters to settle a discrimination-in-hiring complaint. (About $22 million in settlement, if need be.)Against whom does the Atlanta-based restaurant chain allegedly discriminate?

The Maryland Commission on Human Relations will file today a request for public hearing on a complaint of discrimination brought by fired national sales manager Patti Ebbert against her former employer, WHFS-Radio (99.1 FM).Ms. Ebbert, who filed a $3 million civil suit earlier this week, is the wife of WHFS disc jockey Damian Einstein, who had been terminated from his job then reinstated after he filed a discrimination complaint."It's one of the most egregious examples of retaliation I've seen," Michael L. Forman, general counsel for the commission said of Ms. Ebbert's termination.

Hechinger Co., the state's biggest chain of home improvement stores, has been hit with a discrimination lawsuit that claims black and older managers were swept out of the company as Hechinger converted its traditional warehouse stores to more modern "Home Project Centers" during the early 1990s.Landover-based Hechinger strongly denied the claims in the lawsuit, which named Chief Executive Officer John Hechinger Jr. and the vice president for store operations, Gary Mercer, as individual defendants.

Before the first witness could be called, a trial focusing on allegations of housing discrimination at Gibson Island was halted yesterdaywhen a tentative settlement was reached.Attorneys in the case yesterday refused to discuss details of the deal, saying it will not befinal until today. Officers of the Gibson Island Corp., the organization that bought the island 50 years ago for $150,000, were to meet last night to approve the settlement, the group's attorney said.The plaintiffs in the case -- white residents alleging a "subtle but extremely effective" system of discrimination against minorities at the private enclave -- said the settlement will allow all propertyowners to use the pool, golf course, marina and other facilities rented to the Gibson Island Club.

Gov.Martin O'Malley signed an executive order yesterday stating that state employment decisions will be based solely on merit and fitness, and reinforcing an anti-discrimination policy for hiring and personnel activity. The order also mandates that the secretary of budget and management appoint a statewide equal opportunity coordinator to ensure that Maryland is complying with state and federal employment laws. "To bring the best workers to Maryland?s state government we need to guarantee every employee the basic protections that they deserve, and that our state government sets an example for equal employment opportunities throughout Maryland," the governor said in a statement.

Bethlehem Steel Corp. police department officers traded job favors for sex from female employees, according to a federal sex discrimination suit filed by a guard who claims she was fired for threatening to expose the practice.The suit filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Baltimore alleges that the chief of the Sparrows Point police force and a lieutenant did not enforce discipline against several female security guards with whom they were intimately involved, while penalizing employees who complained.

On Sept. 5, Michael Carney, an openly gay Massachusetts police officer, eloquently told members of the House of Representatives why the Employment Non-Discrimination Act continues to be essential. Mr. Carney, who endured job discrimination once he made the courageous decision to come out to his colleagues, said, "Had I not been successful in fighting the bias that tried to prevent me from working, all the good I have done for some of the most vulnerable people in my community would never have happened."

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- At Hooters, the chicken wings come mild, medium, hot or Three Mile Island. But these days it's the breasts that are causing all the heat.A sex discrimination complaint against the popular restaurant chain could leave judges and lawyers debating one deceptively simple question -- just what does Hooters really sell? Chicken wings or cheesecake?Two weeks ago, a district director of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in Pasco County near Tampa found that Hooters discriminates against men by hiring only women as bartenders and waitresses.