Con Ed Sexual Harassment Suit Settles for $3.8 Million

Sexual harassment victims to receive funds from major settlement

State Attorney Eric T. Schneiderman, working with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, have structured a settlement with Con Ed of New York to help deal with existing allegations of sexual harassment practices for female employees working in the field.

The $3.8 million will be distributed to members of the filing class, which includes more than 300 female workers. The process of paying out those claims will be handled jointly by the EEOC and the Attorney General’s Office. According to Schneiderman, this case is just one piece of a bigger picture with a goal to fight harassment and gender discrimination in the workplace.

The women who filed suit were employed by the company between 2006 and 2014. They alleged that male supervisors and co-workers were responsible for ongoing harassment during this period.

Some of the allegations against the male employees of the company responsible for this harassment included:

• Assignment of menial tasks for female employees who were being isolated from a group of mostly males

• Denial of on-the-job training compared with what was offered to men

• Ignoring requests for being placed in classes for promotion opportunities

• Being excluded from use of proper safety gear and tolls even when male employees had access to this

• Denial of access to adequate changing, shower, and bathroom facilities

• Fewer positive performance reviews than male employees

• Being subjected to tougher discipline standards for comparable conduct

• Denial of overtime opportunities even when they had eligibility

In addition to making payments from the settlement, Con Edison is also responsible for changing some of the discriminatory workplace practices. This includes using an equal employment opportunity specialist to manage employee training, keeping an independent consultant on staff to ensure that Con Ed complies with the settlement agreement, instituting better protocols and policies for handling sexual harassment claims when they emerge, and providing field supervisor training in line with Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Have you already been a victim of sexual harassment or other discriminatory practices on the job? As an employee, you have rights. Finding the right employment law attorney or wage theft attorney to help you fight these practices is essential. If you would like to learn more about your rights and whether you have a case, set up a consultation at the offices of Hepworth, Gershabum & Roth, PLLC today. Our New York employment law attorneys have a long record of success handling sexual harassment cases. Set up a free consultation today by calling 212-545-1199 or contact us online.