Posts Tagged ‘Discrimination Policies’
NFL Approves New Sexual Harassment and Discrimination Protections
April 24th, 2013
Posted in Sexual Harassment News
New York, NY- the NFL has long-standing anti-discrimination policies already in place, but they have agreed to additional actions to ensure openly gay players are not subjected to harassment based on their sexual orientation.
The NFL and New York’s attorney general Eric Schneiderman have been in negotiations to make the athletic league “more inclusive” for gay players. According to CBS sports, the NHL has taken similar steps to protect gay players, but it has not been done in football before
Talks between Schneiderman and the NFL began shortly after players were asked questions about their sexual orientation in the scouting combine. Some prospective players were asked if they liked girls, or if they had a girlfriend. Any employer whether it is the NFL or a fast-food restaurant is prohibited from asking about an applicant’s sexual orientation under the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
After the controversy, the NFL said they found no specific violations, but agreed to improve upon their existing policies to avoid these incidents in the future.
Shneiderman’s office began working with the NFL in attempt to change the environment and to make certain players and recruits are faced with these types of questions in the future.
“We reviewed our long-standing anti-discrimination policy with our teams at our league meeting in March,” said NFL spokesman Greg Aiello, according to CBS sports. “We more recently met with the New York Attorney General’s office to reiterate that policy and our plans to reinforce it to our players, teams and staff in the near future.”
The NFL will take steps to prevent sexual harassment and discrimination by placing posters in locker rooms which clearly state their anti-discrimination policies. The league also promised to thoroughly investigate complaints of harassment and discrimination based on sexual orientation, and keep the identities of complainants confidential. Their policies will also be included in employee handbooks and will be covered in their new recruit symposium.
The NFL will also regularly report to Schneiderman’s office to review their progress in enforcing the anti-discrimination policy.
“My office is committed to ensuring equal protection under the law for all employees and job applicants no matter where they work,” Schneiderman said, “and I applaud the NFL for working cooperatively with our office to address these issues. Together we are sending a powerful message that discrimination and harassment will not be tolerated in any form.”
Even though it against federal law to discriminate against an employee because of their gender or sexual orientation, it happens to an alarming degree. Last year the EEOC received over 30,000 complaints of sexual discrimination—sexual harassment is considered a form of sex discrimination. And those were just the official complaints.
Many men and women are sexually harassed or discriminated against are afraid to report the incidents because they believe they will face retaliation for raising these issues. Over fifty percent of women admit that they have been sexually harassed at least once in their working lives or on a college campus.
California Vineyard to Pay $350,000 in Sexual Harassment Damages
July 3rd, 2012
Posted in Sexual Harassment News
FRESNO, California — A Fresno grape grower has been ordered to pay $350,000 following a sexual harassment and retaliation lawsuit.
Giumarra Vineyards, in Edision, California, has been ordered to pay the settlement as well as make changes in company policies after a sexual harassment complaint was filed.
According to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), a 17-year-old worker at vineyard was sexually harassed by a co-worker. She and four other workers complained about the abuse but when they spoke up, all four of them were fired.
In addition to the damages, Giumarra has agreed to provide sexual harassment training for all workers at the vineyard to prevent a similar incident from happening in the future. Giumarra must also amend its anti-discrimination policies and complaint procedures, must develop a complaint tracking system, and must hire a human resources professional to handle sexual harassment complaints.
Jeff Giumarra, a spokesman for Giumarra, said in a statement that the company takes sexual harassment cases “very seriously” and was “proud” to change its policies to include the new harassment and discrimination training program.
Sexual harassment is defined as any unwanted and unwelcome sexual conduct. It can be anything from a general lewd joke to a serious physical attack like rape. Regardless of the individual circumstances, all sexual harassment incidents can lead the victim to feel afraid and embarrassed, affecting their performance at work and even leading to trauma. If you or someone you know has been harassed, contact a sexual harassment lawyer immediately to file a case.
Sexual harassment lawyers do whatever it takes to ensure the victim obtains justice and compensation for their pain and suffering. They will also make sure that the perpetrator is held liable for their actions.
Contact a sexual harassment attorney today to fight for your rights.
New Jersey restaurant owner settles sexual harassment case
TRENTON, New Jersey — A sexual harassment case involving the owner of a Camden restaurant/coffee shop has been resolved. The owner of the establishment has agreed to pay a $75,000 settlement over sexual harassment allegations.
Under the agreement, Ronald Ford Jr., owner of City Coffee, must pay the state $15,000 and provide training for all his employees on discrimination and harassment. The $60,000 balance of will be suspended and vacated after three years, unless Ford fails to meet all the conditions of the agreement. If he does, he will be liable for the full amount.
The $15,000 settlement will be divided among the City Coffee employees who came forward with sexual harassment allegations. In addition, Ford must develop formal anti-workplace-discrimination policies at the company and devise adequate procedures for handling sexual harassment complaints. He must also provide quarterly reports detailing any discrimination complaints made by his employees, what actions were taken in response to the complaints, and what the outcome was.
The settlement was a result of a five-count sexual harassment complaint filed in 2007. The complaint named both Ford and City Coffee and alleged that a hostile work environment was created at the jobsite and that Ford would constantly make lewd comments, touch female workers inappropriately, request sexual favors, among other things. It also accuses Ford of firing one of the employees that came forward with allegations.
Sexual harassment is a serious crime, no matter how mild or how severe the conduct was. If you have been the victim of sexual harassment, speak to a leading team of sexual harassment lawyers before matters escalate. The sooner you talk to a top sexual harassment lawyer, the faster the workplace will be rid of hostility and the sooner your perpetrator will be held liable for their actions.
With a skilled team of sexual harassment lawyers on your side, you will receive the rightful compensation you deserve for your pain and suffering. Don’t waste any time and contact a sexual harassment lawyer in your area to put an end to the discrimination.