Regulators: Sex Bias At Cbs O&os

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said there is evidence that CBS Inc. has discriminated against female technicians at network owned-and-operated television stations.

Released to the public Monday, the ruling -- written Oct. 29 by Spencer H. Lewis Jr., director of the EEOC's New York district office -- said women were "subjected to disparate treatment in salary, amount of overtime, promotion opportunities and training."

The ruling also said there is evidence of "a sexually hostile environment at (CBS)" and retaliation against "several female technicians" who complained about sex discrimination. The ruling, however, does not detail the allegations.

"As a company, CBS is, and has been, committed to creating a workplace that fosters fair employment practices," said network spokesman Dana McClintock. "We welcome the EEOC's invitation to discuss this matter and look forward to resolving it as soon as possible."

McClintock noted that CBS received a Labor Department award in 1995 for "exemplary voluntary efforts" to build a diverse work force.

The EEOC ruling was in response to a complaint filed in 1993 by Linda Karpell, a former CBS camerawoman in New York who claims she was sexually harassed, passed over for the best assignments and fired after she protested.

It was made public by attorneys representing Karpell and 165 other current or former female technicians at CBS stations in cities including Minneapolis, New York, Los Angeles and Chicago. The group has since filed a private sex discrimination lawsuit against the network.

"We hope CBS will take the EEOC's finding to heart and try to eliminate the obstacles that women face at its television stations," attorney Susan Stokes said.

The lawsuit is scheduled to go to trial in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis in January.

The EEOC normally does not release its opinions to the public, and it does not confirm such rulings while it tries to reach an out-of-court settlement. Should that fail, the government could join the private lawsuit or pursue separate legal action against CBS.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.