Labor Law: Company pays $2 million due to harassment towards temporary employees
Source: Richmond Times-Dispatch
KAREN MICHAEL Special correspondent 8 hrs ago
Sunshine Raisin Company (d/b/a National Raisin), a dried fruit company out of California, will pay $2 million to settle a sexual harassment and retaliation lawsuit filed by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission due to harassment against temporary workers. The settlement will compensate the women agricultural workers who experienced the harassment and retaliation. According to the EEOC’s announcement, many of the women only speak Spanish.
The EEOC sued both National Raisin and the staffing company which provided temporary employees to the company, Real Time Staffing Services. The settlement involves only the agreement by National Raisin to pay damages. The case against Real Time Staffing is ongoing.
This case is a stark reminder to employers who wrongly believe they cannot be liable for actions by their employees towards temporary staffers who do not officially work for the company where they are working.
According to the lawsuit, National Raisin “has been under contract with Select Staffing for services rendered in California and has been a joint employer with Select Staffing where both Defendants generally controlled the terms and conditions of employment of the Charging Parties and other similarly aggrieved individuals.”
Read more: https://richmond.com/news/local/business/labor-law-company-pays-2-million-due-to-harassment-towards-temporary-employees/article_28c07c78-e85d-11ee-a277-67c5ff869215.html