Tiffanie and her sister, Heather, started working for Cabo Billiards and Sports Bar, here in Abilene, when it first opened earlier this year. After a while, they say one of their managers, Shane Belclair, started making inappropriate comments.
"That's when it would get a little carried away."
In paperwork filed with the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC), the two women are alleging that Belclair made sexual comments, which they reported to corporate office. Later, they were notified they were self terminated.
"He wanted me to expose myself and told me that he needs a certain part of a woman's body," says Tiffanie. Her sister adds, "He would say employees are not allowed to drink on the job. The only way they get to drink on the job is if they're doing something else on the side, while pointing at the office."
The problems continued when Heather was unable to attend a meeting because she wasn't able to find child care for her kid. She says she communicated that with Belclair and that he understood, then one evening he pulled her aside. "That's when I was told I didn't show up to the meeting so that was self-termination."
When I contacted Roger Gerhart, President of Graham Brothers, the parent company to Cabo Billiards, he stated they do now allow harassment. "First thing I want to say, is we're not going to allow any of our employees to be sexually harassed or harassed in any manner."
Belclair was released from Cabo Billiards, but not as a result of this incident. "I really can't tell you exactly why but it was not because of this particular incident," explains Gerhart. Although he adds, "I have investigated this a lot, and I'm really denying any of the allegations."
With the paperwork now filed with the TWC, the Commission will examine the claims and conduct their own investigation. If the claims are found to be true the women will then have the right to take the company to court.
