An Iraan, Texas, oil field construction and services company will pay $30,000 and furnish other relief to settle a retaliation lawsuit brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency announced.
The EEOC’s suit, filed in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, Pecos Division, charged that Garrison Contractors Inc. fired its only female roustabout, Elma Garza, after she reported being sexually harassed on the job.
Hired by the company in January 2012 as a dump truck driver, Garza spent most of her employment as the company’s only female oil field worker.
In this roustabout position, Garza worked side by side with her male co-workers fixing oil and gas leaks, digging ditches and cleaning heavy equipment. EEOC said that during her employment, Garza was subjected to lewd comments about female organs and sex.
EEOC contends that when Garza reported the unwanted conduct, the company retaliated against her by terminating her.
The EEOC filed suit after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its conciliation process.
In addition to monetary relief, the consent decree settling the suit, signed by U.S. District Judge David A. Ezra on Sept. 2, includes injunctive terms such as requiring the company to:
- Implement a written anti-retaliation policy to ensure that employee complaints are addressed while providing protection to employees from adverse employment action for lodging such complaints;
- Conduct annual training for all officers, managers, gang pushers and roustabouts for three years on the law against retaliation in the workplace; and
- Post an anti-discrimination and anti-retaliation notice.
Eliminating policies and practices that discourage or prohibit individuals from exercising their rights under employment discrimination statutes, or that impede the EEOC’s investigative or enforcement efforts, is of one of six national priorities identified by the EEOC’s Strategic Enforcement Plan (SEP).
Source: EEOC
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