The State - News from Aug. 19, 1988

Six women filed a sex and race discrimination class-action suit against Lucky Stores in U.S. District Court in San Francisco, charging that Lucky has systematically discriminated against women, blacks and Latinos in its Northern California division. The suit said that between 1984 and 1986 women made up 34% of the sales force but held only 6.5% of managerial positions, 12.4% of assistant managerial positions and 2% of night managerial positions. The division has 160 stores and 5,000 employees. The plaintiffs had previously made similar complaints to the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which is expected to issue its report next month. Judith Decker, a Lucky spokeswoman, denied the charges by saying Lucky “practices equal opportunity employment and promotes on that basis.” The suit argued that Lucky keeps women and minorities in the lowest jobs and in dead-end jobs and denies them full-time assignments and promotions.