Dole Closing Bakersfield Plant, Eliminating 400 Jobs

Dole Food Co. of Westlake Village said it is closing its Bakersfield carrot plant as part of a consolidation of production operations, putting 400 employees out of work.

The fruit and vegetable concern said it will phase out the Bakersfield operation gradually through July and consolidate production at its California carrot facilities in Holtville and Gonzales.

Dole has implemented a worldwide reorganization plan intended to cut costs by more than $100 million. Its Dole Fresh Vegetables Co. subsidiary operates eight California plants that produce 42 fresh and pre-cut vegetable products.

Separately, Dole and two subsidiaries have been sued by five female employees who alleged that the company systematically discriminated against women by paying them less than men, passing them over for promotions or not hiring them at all.

The federal sexual discrimination suit was filed by two Oxnard women who work for Dole’s subsidiary Buenaventura Lemon Co. in Saticoy and by three female employees of Central Valley Citrus--another Dole company that packages oranges in Tulare County.

Attorneys for the plaintiffs said they hope the lawsuit will grow into a class action representing hundreds of other female packinghouse workers. The “discriminatory hiring, promotion and work assignment practices (at the Dole subsidiaries) are typical of the citrus packing industry in California, in which it is normal practice to segregate employees into ‘men’s’ and ‘women’s’ jobs,” the lawsuit alleged.

The action, filed in U.S. District Court, is the latest in a trilogy of lawsuits against Ventura County fruit packers claiming gender discrimination. It seeks unspecified damages, back pay with interest, future employment assurances and an end to discriminatory practices.