C2-Wednesday, May 28, 1980 - North Shore News

Breastfeeding firefighter

quits job - claims harassment

Vows to pursue legal fight

IOWA CITY, lowa (UPI) -
Firefighter Linda Eaton,
who waged a 16-month legal
fight to breast-feed her son
inthe firehouse, quit her
job recently: saying “I'd
rather be broke and be with
Tan.”

But Eaton, 27, the city’s
only female firefighter, said
she would pursue her legal
fight and her attorney said
more suits could be filed.

“IT could take it, and |
probably still could, but it
just got suddenly un-
bearable ,” Eaton told a news
conference, holding her 19-
month-old son, Ian. “I was
the brunt of ther (co
workers) hostilities.”

Clara Oleson, Eaton's
attorney, said her chent “has
the option” to file further
complaints against the city
but has not decided whether
to do so.

“I'm extremely proud of
Linda Eaton,” Oleson said.
“I don’t think any of us will
be able to say again that a
woman cannot work in a
traditionally male job
because she did it. She didn’t
lose. lowa City lost. I'm
angry and disappointed.”

Eaton said her reason for
leaving resulted “directly
and indirectly” from her sex
discrimination = suit, _—_ filed

with the lowa Civil Rights
Commission in January 1979.

“I don't beheve I can carry
out my job to the best of my
ability,” she said. “TI did so
(resign) with my son's best
interest in mind. This doesn’t
affect my legal action. I plan
to follow through on that to
the end.

“I don’t feel at all that |
lost or that I quit or ran away
from this problem,” she said.
“I'd rather be broke and be
with lan. It will get better for
us.”

Eaton, a single mother,
held up a copy of a letter
from city officials asking her
to reconsider her
resignation.

“If your decision 1s based
upon recent problems which

women

you have brought to our
attention, we have taken
steps to prevent further
incidents and to discipline
those involved im past m-
cidents and we will continue
to do so,” the letter said.

“The city is appealing a
March ruling by the Civil
Rights Commission that
found Eaton was the victim
of sex discrimination and
awarded her about $25,000
in legal fees and damages.

She said she had no im-
mediate employment plans
but would not consider
returning to work as an lowa
City firefighter.

Citing alleged incidents of
harassment, Oleson said one
of Eaton's gloves was sht -—
“endangemmng her hfe” — and
a male firefighter “threw her
to the floor” in an argument
about what television
program to watch durng an
off duty pernod in the
firehouse

Toxic disease affects girls

ATLANTA (UPI)
recognized illacss of
unknown cause which af
fects pnmaniy young women
of child bearing age was
reported by the national
Center for Disease Control
The federal health agem y
said the discasce, knuown as

A newly

tome shock syndrome, was
“senous” and that 4 naton
wide study of the ailment has
been launched

Phe CD© sand toan shock
syndrome has o death rate of
10 to PS per cent

Cases of the ailment were
reported to CDC by state
health dcpartments 1p
Wisconsin Minnesota,
anos Utah and Idaho In
addition physicians in cight
other states reported in
dividual cases to CIO on to
tnvesligators at the
Umversaty of Colorado in
Denver

Hcalth authorities said SS

cases have been reported to
CiK samecc Ol tober 1979
with 9S per cent of the «cases

affecting women

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