Michael Bloomberg addresses alleged mistreatment of women under his leadership
His rival Sen. Elizabeth Warren is hitting him hard for the accusations
Democratic presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg defended the treatment of women at his company on Sunday amid media reports and lawsuits alleging various degrees of harassment or worse.
"Not everybody is happy but we have an enviable record of treating people the same in terms of compensation and promotions and authority," Bloomberg said at a campaign event in North Carolina, according to The New York Post.
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"There will always be somebody that's not happy," Bloomberg continued. "But we do very well in terms of attracting men and women to come to work in the company and the retention rate with both of them is as good as I think any real company, so I’m very proud of what we do."
His rival Sen. Elizabeth Warren said Monday that Bloomberg should release women who used to work at his businesses from nondisclosure agreements (NDAs) after a number of lawsuits claiming harassment and discrimination.
Mike Bloomberg Speaks at the opening of his North Carolina campaign headquarters. (Credit: Mike Bloomberg North Carolina)
Bloomberg pushed back against reports like a November story by Business Insider that paints a bleak picture of Bloomberg LP's treatment of female employees.
"Fundamentally, I think our policies of how we treat, how we respect people and promote people and give them opportunities is something I'm very proud of. Senior management in our company, there's a lot of women," Bloomberg said, according to The Post.
"The woman who runs my campaign, runs my foundation, runs my life … I mean …," he said, referring to Bloomberg Philanthropies executive Patti Harris, who also chairs his campaign.
The work environment at Bloomberg LP has been the subject of multiple complaints since the firm's inception in 1981, according to legal filings.
Several suits are ongoing, as noted by Business Insider, including one filed in October by an employee who claims to have been fired while undergoing cancer treatment.
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Other cases include a dismissed class-action lawsuit on behalf of more than 70 women claiming the company discriminated against mothers and pregnant women, and former executive Johnna Ayres' suit against Bloomberg and Bloomberg LP in 2018 over sex and age discrimination, a hostile work environment and retaliation.
FOX Business' inquiry to Bloomberg's campaign was not immediately returned.
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FOX Business' Brittany De Lea contributed to this report.