An EEOC Charge filed by a former Gates Corp. employee in Poplar Bluff, Missouri alleges that Gates ignored a report of sexual harassment, causing injury to the point that the victim had to seek treatment.
The Charge against Gates alleges that a Lead employee sent complainant vulgar sexual texts which bragged that “I touch your butt.” See texts to the left.
The Charge includes a sworn statement from the victim’s coworker which stated that “she showed me vulgar sexual messages on her phone that he had sent . . . including one in which he said he could touch her butt,” and that the coworker told their Manager what the Lead employee was doing to the complainant.
Although Gates’ written sexual harassment policy required the Manager to “report any concerns of harassment,” the coworker states in her sworn statement that the Manager “told me there was nothing he could do, and that” the complainant “would have to take it up with Human Resources.”
The Charge alleges that after it learned about the texts Gates promoted the harasser to become complainant’s supervisor. In its response to the EEOC Charge, Gates acknowledges that it had received a report of text messages sent by the Lead to complainant and that it nonetheless promoted the Lead employee to “Production Supervisor.”
Aside from promoting the Lead, Gates took no further action until contacted by counsel, the Charge alleges.
Anyone who has witnessed sexual harassment at Gates is encouraged to contact Friedman & Houlding LLP by filling out a contact form on our website, emailing us at attorney@friedmanhouldingllp.com or calling 888-369-1119 x1.
