America West Settles $100,000 Sexual Harassment Case with EEOC

February 27, 2007 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - America West Airlines agreed to a $100,000 settlement with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) over charges that several female employees were sexually harassed by a male supervisor.

EEOC charged in U.S. District Court in Las Vegas that the company allowed a hostile work environment for the women from September 1999 to July 2001, during which time a male supervisor made sexual comments and touched and rubbed the female employees at work at McCarran International Airport. The manager retired in October 2001.

In a three-year consent agreement, the airline agreed to change some of its policies, but refused to admit any wrongdoing in the lawsuit that was brought against the company in 2005, according to the Associated Press.

The agreement requires that America West revise recruitment and hiring policies, hold managers accountable for equal employment practices, post an employee notice, hire an equal employment monitor and ensure records are kept and reported to the commission.

The airline – which merged with US Airways in September 2005 – will also be responsible for conducting an employee survey to see if harassment complaints are properly handled, the wire service reported.

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