FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, January 29, 2018
PLASTIPAK PACKAGING WILL PAY $90,000
TO SETTLE EEOC RETALIATION SUIT
Plastics Manufacturing
Company Fired Materials Handler Because
She Complained About Sexual Harassment,
Federal Agency Charged
BALTIMORE
– Plastipak Packaging, Inc. will pay $90,000 and furnish significant equitable
relief to resolve a federal retaliatory discrimination lawsuit, the U.S. Equal
Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced today.
The EEOC charged that Plastipak fired a female
employee, who had been placed by a temporary agency, because she complained
that one of its employees had sexually harassed her. Rather than investigating
her complaint, the EEOC said, Plastipak terminated her assignment.
Such alleged conduct
violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits sexual
harassment and retaliation against individuals who complain about
discrimination or harassment. The EEOC filed suit (EEOC
v. Plastipak Packaging Inc., Civil
Action No. 1:16-cv-03278) in U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland,
Baltimore Division, after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement
through its conciliation process.
In addition to the $90,000 in monetary relief to the retaliation
victim, the three-year consent decree resolving the suit enjoins Plastipak from
engaging in retaliation at its Havre de Grace, Md., facility in the future. Plastipak
will implement a detailed policy prohibiting sexual harassment and retaliation.
Plastipak will train all managers, supervisors and employees on preventing sexual
harassment and retaliation. The training will also emphasize mutual respect in
the workplace and train employees to respond appropriately when they are
bystanders to unacceptable behavior. The consent decree requires Plastipak to
report to the EEOC on how it handles any internal complaints of unlawful sexual
harassment or retaliation and to post a notice regarding the settlement.
“All employees,
including temporary workers, have the right to earn a living without being
subjected to sexual advances and to exercise their right to oppose unlawful
harassment without being fired,” said EEOC Philadelphia Director Jamie R.
Williamson.
EEOC Regional Attorney Debra M. Lawrence
added, “We are pleased that Plastipak worked with us to reach an amicable
settlement. This settlement, including the comprehensive injunctive provisions,
policy changes and training requirements, should create a more respectful
workplace and ensure that all employees are protected from unlawful harassment
or retaliation.”
The EEOC’s Baltimore Field Office
is one of four offices in the agency’s Philadelphia District, which has
jurisdiction over Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, West Virginia and parts of
New Jersey and Ohio. Attorneys in the Philadelphia District Office also prosecute
discrimination cases in Washington, D.C. and parts of Virginia.
The EEOC advances opportunity in the workplace
by enforcing federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. More information is available at www.eeoc.gov. Stay connected with the latest EEOC news by subscribing to our email updates.
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