United Parcel Service Settles EEOC Sexual Harassment Charge

LOS ANGELES – The United Parcel Service (UPS) in Santa Barbara, California, will pay $10,000 and furnish other injunctive relief to settle a sexual harassment charge filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) on behalf of a member of a class of injured parties, the federal agency announced today.

An EEOC charge of discrimination was filed on Dec. 6, 2021, alleging that UPS created a hostile work environment by failing to address ongoing sexual harassment by a coworker, along with denial of promotion due to sex. The EEOC investigated the allegations and found reasonable cause to believe that UPS violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 when it failed to remedy sexual harassment in the workplace for the individual who filed the charge, along with a class of female coworkers who were also affected by the harassment in the workplace.

Without admitting liability, UPS entered into a conciliation agreement with the EEOC. While the original charging party chose to pursue the matter on her own, the EEOC conciliated the case for one remaining class member. The company agreed to pay $10,000 to the impacted class member, provide training to all employees at the Santa Barbara UPS service center, and permanently affix the UPS “Golden Rules” on the inside of the bathrooms within the same service center. Additionally, UPS will post a notice to all employees about the resolution of this charge and their rights under federal anti-discrimination law at the Santa Barbara location. The EEOC will monitor compliance for the agreement’s three-year term.

“We commend UPS for choosing to resolve this charge for the affected class member and for putting in place measures that will benefit employees throughout the Santa Barbara UPS service center,” said Christine Park-Gonzalez, district director of the EEOC’s Los Angeles District. “Harassment has an insidious effect in a workplace, negatively impacting an employer’s workflow, and, ultimately, its bottom line. Addressing it early on has a positive impact on not only staff morale, but the business as a whole.”

For more information on sexual harassment, please visit https://www.eeoc.gov/sexual-harassment.

The EEOC’s Los Angeles District includes central and southern California, southern Nevada, Hawaii, Guam, American Samoa, Wake Island, and the Northern Mariana Islands, with offices in Los Angeles, Fresno, Las Vegas, San Diego and Honolulu. 

The EEOC is the sole federal agency authorized to investigate and litigate against businesses and other private sector employers for violations of federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. For public sector employers, the EEOC shares jurisdiction with the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division; the EEOC is responsible for investigating charges against state and local government employers before referring them to DOJ for potential litigation. The EEOC also is responsible for coordinating the federal government’s employment antidiscrimination effort. More information about the EEOC is available at www.eeoc.gov. Stay connected with the latest EEOC news by subscribing to our email updates.

Source: U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC.gov)