09/05/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 09/05/2024 09:38
WASHINGTON -The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) filed a trio of lawsuits alleging that discriminatory mistreatment in the workplace created illegal hostile work environments in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
"Employers have a duty under federal civil rights law to make sure all of their employees are treated with dignity by managers and coworkers alike, and that if anyone is made to feel unsafe at work because of their national origin, race, sex, or other protected characteristic, the situation is taken seriously and investigated thoroughly," said EEOC General Counsel Karla Gilbride. "As the EEOC's recent harassment guidance explains, hostile environments based on any trait covered by federal anti-discrimination law are illegal, and the EEOC will remain steadfast in enforcing those protections."
Today the EEOC filed:
"The EEOC is committed to enforcing our nation's laws preventing race and national origin harassment in the workplace," said Mary Jo O'Neill, regional attorney for the EEOC's Phoenix District, which includes Colorado. "Employers need to remain vigilant in preventing their own managers from engaging in harassment in the workplace. And employers must act promptly in investigating harassment allegations and must immediately take steps to stop the harassment and take appropriate disciplinary and remedial actions, especially where the harassing incident involves both a racial slur and physical assault."
"Federal law ensures that no one has to endure racial slurs from their boss in order to make a living and holds employers automatically liable for the harassing conduct of their owners," said Debra M. Lawrence, regional attorney for the EEOC's Philadelphia District. "The EEOC is committed to addressing all forms of unlawful harassment in the restaurant industry, where it continues to occur all too frequently."
"Sexual harassment continues to be a pervasive issue in the restaurant industry," said Kristen M. Foslid, regional attorney for the EEOC's Miami District. "Employers who utilize their positions of power to prey on vulnerable restaurant workers will be held accountable under the law."
These companies' alleged conduct violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination, including unlawful harassment, based on race, color, religion, sex, and national origin, sex-and retaliation against employees who complain about unlawful conduct. The EEOC filed suit after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its administrative conciliation process in each of the three cases.
Last fiscal year, the number of charges the EEOC received involving harassment jumped more than 28% to 31,354, the highest since the agency started monitoring harassment charge numbers in fiscal year 2010. Charges involving retaliation reached more than 46,000, a 31-year high. The EEOC recently issued updated Enforcement Guidance on Harassment in the Workplace with more than 70 concrete examples to help employees and employers identify workplace issues and take action.
For more information on harassment, please visit https://www.eeoc.gov/harassment. For more information on national origin discrimination, please visit https://www.eeoc.gov/national-origin-discrimination. For more information on race and color discrimination, please visit https://www.eeoc.gov/racecolor-discrimination. For more information on retaliation, please visit https://www.eeoc.gov/retaliation. For more information on sexual harassment, please visit https://www.eeoc.gov/sexual-harassment.
The EEOC prevents and remedies unlawful employment discrimination and advances equal opportunity for all. More information is available at www.eeoc.gov. Stay connected with the latest EEOC news by subscribing to our email updates.