Woman Dockworker Wins Suit

A veteran dockworker who says she was unfairly passed over for a promotion has won a sex-discrimination lawsuit against Local 98 of the International Longshoreman’s and Warehousemen’s Union.

A federal court jury on Friday awarded Kristie Hagen $130,000 in back pay and $100,000 in damages.

The judgment was the first of several court cases that allege age, sex and race discrimination on the Tacoma and Seattle waterfronts.

A dispatcher who answered the phone Saturday at the Local 98 office in Federal Way said union officials were unavailable for comment. The union’s attorney, Dick Robblee, also could not be reached for comment.

Hagen, who worked on the Seattle waterfront for 17 years loading and unloading cargo, said Local 98 twice passed her over for promotion, even though she had the same or more seniority as the men.

Hagen, 48, and Tacoma dockworker Lynn Scott recently became the first women promoted to foremen in Local 98 - a decision that was made before trial and after she filed suit in U.S. District Court.

Foremen are the highest-paid workers on the waterfront. Annual salaries average $139,000.

Hagen told The Seattle Times she hopes the jury’s punitive-damage award sends a message that discrimination of any kind won’t be tolerated.

“Women have been down there for more than 17 years,” she said. “Women have earned their place on the waterfront, and now it’s time that we earn some respect.”