Ex-employee pickets local caf

Kimberly Pridmore isn’t happy, as evidenced by the picket signs she and her husband, Charles, have carried on October 26 and 30 in front of her former place of employment, the Wayside Café on Main Avenue. Paul Kalajainen, owner of the café, isn’t happy either. He says he is disappointed that someone would do this to one of the landmark businesses in town.

Pridmore claims she was fired from the restaurant, where she worked as a waitress, on March 27 after she complained to Kalajainen that certain cooks at the establishment were sexually harassing her.

“Paul told me he would sit down with them and get this all straightened out and that everything would be okay,” Pridmore said.

“He said he would take care of it and for me not to worry. But the harassment continued and the next thing I know, I was fired and they were still there.”

“This person was terminated due to inferior job performance,” Kalajainen said. “This person has gone the route of unemployment, manufactured a small workman’s comp claim and has conjured up a harassment claim that was denied by the state.”

“There was no legitimate performance or business reason for my termination,” Pridmore said. “I was never once written up for a customer complaint. I did my job well.”

Pridmore filed a Complaint of Discrimination with the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing and EEOC (DFEH#E200405-D-1934-02-rs), claiming she was sexually harassed from on or about November 1, 2004, to March 27, 2005.

“The harassment was of a verbal, visual and physical nature creating a hostile and intimidating environment,” the report states. Specific examples (that we are unable to print here) are on file with the agency. Pridmore claims all the other employees were well aware of the situation.

When asked if co-workers could corroborate her story, Pridmore said, “They won’t talk because they’ve been told by Paul that if they do, they will lose their jobs.” However, the two cooks accused of the misconduct are no longer employed at the café.

“One was a no-show for work and was subsequently terminated, and the other went to Mexico to do landscape work or something,” Kalajainen confirmed.

When contacted on October 28, Belinda LeDoux, District Administrator for the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing, stated, “This is still an open case.”

In fiscal year 2003-2004, 3,571 complaints of sexual harassment were filed with the agency against employers in the state. The results of those are as follows: in five of those, public hearings were held; 56 cases were resolved by the parties; three cases were successfully conciliated; five were successfully mediated; 159 cases had an administrative decision; 128 cases had a negotiated settlement; in 2,590 cases the complainant elected to take court action; and 598 cases had a finding of no probable cause to prove a violation of the statue.

“They have offered me $500 for emotional distress, but I wouldn’t take it,” Pridmore said. “He thinks I’m stupid. I know what happened is wrong. He knows what happened was wrong.”

Kalajainen produced documents from the Department of Fair Employment and Housing that stated if he agreed to certain conditions, including holding a meeting with employees to review appropriate guidelines, the agency would close the case.

“As far as I am concerned, this is over,” Kalajainen said. “The meeting is already scheduled for Friday and we’ll be finished with it.”

“I understand they are going to close the case and I am waiting for my right-to-sue letter because I plan on hiring an attorney,” Pridmore said. To do this, Pridmore will have to pursue her case in civil court within one year of receiving the right-to-sue notice.

When asked if she would accept her old job back if it were offered to her, Pridmore replied, “For my own self dignity, I’d never go back.”

“[This situation is] sad for our town; sad for society,” said Kalajainen.