By Michelle A. Monroe

Arizona Daily Star

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Nazi jokes, Hitler pictures and “dumb Polack” comments were a constant at Autonation’s Tucson BMW dealership, says the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

The commission said Thursday that it is suing AN Luxury Imports of Tucson Inc. and its parent, Autonation USA Corp., contending two service technicians were harassed by co-workers and supervisors.

Joachim Bannes, who is German, was called a “German spy” and given Nazi salutes while working at AN Luxury Imports, 835 W. Auto Mall Drive, according to the lawsuit filed Wednesday by the EEOC.

Bannes worked at the dealership from early 2007 to late 2008, said Sally Shanley, the EEOC’s supervisory trial attorney.

Zbigniew Orlinski, who is Polish, was harassed about his heritage “at least every other day,” the EEOC said. Orlinski worked there about 18 months, from 2008 to 2009, Shanley said.

The dealership gave no comment Thursday and referred inquiries to the corporation. Marc Cannon, senior vice president of corporate communications for Autonation, said he would not comment until fully informed about the lawsuit.

Discrimination based on national origin violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

The EEOC suit says that rather than management taking corrective action, officials “retaliated against the two service technicians by subjecting them to unwarranted disciplinary actions and ultimately terminating them.”

The EEOC said it tried to settle outside of court, but after failing to do so filed suit.

Officials are asking for back wages and punitive damages as well as money to account for any emotional distress, loss of enjoyment of life and humiliation. The EEOC also wants the two companies to review their policies and send their employees to equal-opportunities training.

“Companies cannot allow their employees to subject others to harassment because of where they were born,” said Mary Jo O’Neill, regional attorney of the EEOC’s Phoenix district office. “By not taking prompt, corrective action when companies become aware of harassment, companies subject themselves to liability for the hostile work environment suffered by their employees.”

Bannes and Orlinski have lived in the U.S. for about 10 years.

Around 14 percent of Tucsonans are foreign- born, according to 2010 data from the U.S. Census Bureau.

Michelle A. Monroe is a a University of Arizona journalism student and a NASA Space Grant intern.
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