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Benefits June 26, 2003
EEOC, Kraft Settle Same-Sex Harassment Suit
June 26, 2003 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - The United States
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and Kraft Food
Inc. have reached a settlement in a lawsuit involving
allegations that a male supervisor at a Nabisco distribution
center sexually harassed other male employees.
Reported by Eric Hazard
The EEOC filed suit in October contending route drivers and warehouse workers at the Kraft-subsidiary facility were subjected to a sexually hostile environment from at least 1995 to 2000. Additionally, the men alleged their complaints were ignored because they were black, according to an Associated Press report.
The workers were retaliated against when they complained about a gay supervisor, according to the suit. He was accused of touching and grabbing male workers and propositioning them for sex.
A lawyer for the EEOC told the Associated Press that the agreement in the government case resulted from private settlements of “substantial amounts” between Kraft and the men. Additionally, the agreement calls for Kraft to provide broad-based training for managers and employees on harassment.
The settlement is pending approval by US District Judge Sharon Lovelace Blackburn.