Complaint: Museum Kitchen Rife With Sexual Harassment

(WBBM Newsradio) -- A 30-year-old Chicago woman who previously worked in the kitchen of the Museum of Science and Industry says she wants to go public with what she calls harassment by a kitchen employee and supervisor.

WBBM's Steve Miller reports.

There was name-calling and grabbing and touching -- and the use of kitchen tongs to physically harass the women in the kitchen.

That's all part of what Mariela Gomez says she had to endure as a kitchen worker at the museum.

"It was really frustrating, having to deal with that, and having to know that we had to go to work and put up with that."

Gomez filed a sexual-harassment complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission last year. She talked this week about the allegations, saying the museum has been slow to respond.

"I just want justice. I want this to be public and find answers," Gomez says.

She says she finally had to quit her job a year ago after she was physically assaulted by a coworker.

She blames the supervisor for doing nothing about it and also participating in the harassment. She questions why he's still on the job.

"I don't think it's fair for women to keep putting up with his behavior," she says.

The Museum of Science and Industry says is "has a zero tolerance policy against harassment of any kind against our employees. Furthermore, we have an expectation that all of our contractors maintain safe working environments that are free of harassment or discrimination."

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