Pierce County employee claims there’s a reason for lack of promotions: She’s a woman
A maintenance technician in Pierce County’s Planning & Public Works Department claims she was denied promotions a half-dozen times over the past five years because of her gender, according to a recently filed lawsuit.
Lisa Farrar, who has worked in the department’s wastewater division for nearly a decade, accused the county of gender discrimination in a complaint filed in Pierce County Superior Court on Aug. 11.
“Pierce County values a fair and meritorious hiring and promotion process; however, we don’t comment on pending litigation,” Erin Babbo, a spokeswoman for the county’s Planning & Public Works Department, said in a statement.
Farrar, who was promoted to her current role in 2016, said that she applied for mechanics specialist positions on six occasions since 2018 and all but one job went to a male employee. In the lone instance a female employee was hired, the woman asked to be reassigned to the department where she previously worked after being sexually harassed by her manager, according to the lawsuit.
The suit claimed that Farrar had been more qualified than the majority of the men who were ultimately hired for the positions and that she received positive performance reviews throughout her tenure. When Farrar, who has an electrical license, applied for electrician jobs, she was told that she would “never have enough experience” but then was passed over last year for a male employee who didn’t have a license, according to the suit.
The complaint also accused managers of ignoring chauvinistic remarks from men in the workplace.
“Throughout Plaintiff’s employment, male employees have made comments about ‘women’s work,’ referring to sweeping, cleaning the kitchen in the break room, and other janitorial work,” the suit said.
Farrar is one of only two women working full time in the roughly 50-person department and has one female supervisor, according to the complaint.
The suit is seeking damages in an amount to be determined at trial. Attorneys representing Farrar did not return a message seeking comment by deadline Friday.
