ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, May 2, 1996 TAG: 9605020045
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: B-6 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: TAMPA, FLA.
SOURCE: Associated Press
THE EEOC WANTED Hooters to hire male waiters, compensate any men it had turned down for jobs, and set up a scholarship fund to enhance employment opportunities for men.
The government has quietly ended its four-year sexual discrimination probe of Hooters, coming to the same conclusion as its sometimes snickering critics: We have better things to do.
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission had demanded a $22 million fine from the 170-restaurant chain after looking into complaints by four Chicago men who said they were denied the chance to serve suds alongside buxom young waitresses.
The EEOC also wanted Hooters to hire male waiters, compensate any men it had turned down for jobs, and set up a scholarship fund to enhance employment opportunities for men.
Ridiculous, said Rep. Harris Fawell, R-Ill., who had questioned the investigation, given the agency's limited financial resources and heavy caseload.
The EEOC wouldn't say how much it cost to conduct the investigation.
Columnists had a field day as Hooters fought both the EEOC and a private lawsuit filed by the men, asserting a constitutional right to have only females squeeze into its skimpy orange shorts and tight white shirts.
The chain even put out a mocking ad campaign that featured a burly, mustachioed man - Vince Gigliotti, who manages a Hooters in Tampa - wearing a blonde wig, short shorts, stuffed shirt and bedroom eyes.
The caption: ``Come on, Washington. Get a grip.''
The issue was a serious one, according to a March 6 letter from EEOC Chairman Gilbert F. Casellas to Fawell, chairman of a House subcommittee on employment. But, Casellas acknowledged, the agency did have more important matters to concentrate on.
``Denying any American a job simply because of his or her sex is a serious issue which should be taken seriously,'' Casellas wrote. ``The particular factual issues raised by Hooters do not transform this into a frivolous case or a subject for locker-room humor.''
LENGTH: Medium: 51 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: AP. Manager Vince Gigliotti and waitress Wendyby CNBCharboneau (both standing) chat with customers at the Hooters in
Tampa, Fla., on Wednesday.