NY Sex Discrimination and Harassment Claim Defense Attorney

Con Edison Agrees to Pay $3.8 Million in NY Sex Discrimination and Harassment Claim

New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman and the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced on September 9, 2015 that they reached a joint settlement with Con Edison on sex discrimination and sexual harassment charges brought by a class of women against the company.

A class of up to 300 female blue-color workers alleged that Con Edison allowed retaliation and engaged in the following discriminatory actions:

  • Sub-par on-the-job-training for women compared with male peers
  • Made to do menial, “make-work” tasks and isolated by male workers in group work settings
  • Refused or stonewalled when females sought admission to educational classes necessary for promotions
  • Not provided tools or safety gear in situations where men received them
  • Denied adequate and sanitary private restroom, shower and changing facilities
  • Subjected to excessive discipline unlike male workers engaged in comparable conduct
  • Given fewer positive performance evaluations than males for doing comparable work
  • Denied overtime assignments despite eligibility under collective bargaining agreements

In addition to having to pay the class of women $3.8 million, Con Edison has to retain an independent consultant for settlement compliance evaluation along with an independent equal employment opportunity specialist to develop and conduct employee training. The company must also improve its policies and protocols for investigating harassment and discrimination complaints. In addition, the company’s field supervisors must receive training that emphasizes prohibiting sexual harassment and sex discrimination.

If your company has disputes with employees over discrimination, it is vital that you seek legal help as soon as possible. Stephen Hans & Associates has successfully defended employers’ rights in litigation and settlement negotiations for more than two decades.