More Than A Tune-Up

Amy, who is not part of the EEOC lawsuit, doesn't know what to make of Mitsubishi's reforms. ""The company told me they took action,'' she says. ""One of the men is better now. Another is still something, I'll tell you.'' The threatened retaliation, which she also reported, has not materialized. Lynn Martin says that trying to prevent harassment cases like Amy's--""the one-to-one stuff''--frustrates her the most. What will Martin say to Amy if the two ever meet on the streets of Normal? ""I can't tell her we have a remedy all locked in,'' Martin says. ""But I can tell her we've at least begun.'' Just ask the 16 guys who've already squandered careers at Mitsubishi.

THE MITSUBISHI LEGAL FILES

Dec. 15, 1994: Accusing Mitsubishi of fostering a climate of sexual harassment, 29 women file a federal lawsuit against the company. The plaintiffs allege that some supervisors ignored or retaliated against women who complained.

April 9, 1996: The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission files a class-action suit against Mitsubishi for some 300 women at the Normal, Ill., plant who allegedly were targets of harassment or worked in a hostile environment.

April 22, 1996: Mitsubishi pays to bus 3,000 of its employees to the EEOC office in Chicago to protest the lawsuit.

May 14, 1996: Lynn Martin, former U.S. labor secretary, is hired by Mitsubishi to recommend changes for the 4,000 employees at the auto plant.