‘This is a man’s world.’ Female truck driver owed $80K in sex harassment case, feds say
A highway construction company owes a female employee $80,000 after she endured ongoing sexual harassment and verbal abuse from her male co-workers, then was retaliated against for complaining, according to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
The woman dealt with an abusive work environment for more than a year after she joined Balfour Beatty Infrastructure as a truck driver in Craven County, North Carolina in 2020, a lawsuit filed by the federal agency says.
One male co-worker would “routinely” harass her, including by asking her to “talk dirty” to him, “asking her for photos of her breasts,” and sending her sexually explicit text messages, according to a complaint filed in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina. Some of the text messages he sent showed photos of his genitals, the complaint says.
When she reported the harassment to her foreman, the foreman “laughed and advised her, ‘that’s just how (the co-worker) is,’” according to the complaint.
Another male co-worker was openly hostile toward the woman and called her “sexually derogatory” names, the complaint says.
When she tried to speak with other co-workers, this co-worker would tell her “shut the (expletive) up, you stupid (expletive),” according to the complaint.
The other employees would laugh in response, the complaint says.
The female employee complained to her foreman about his behavior to no avail, according to the complaint, which says it “did not stop.”
“Other male coworkers also made vulgar sex-based insults and disparaging comments about women and toward (her) throughout her employment,” the complaint says.
This includes how one co-worker told her: “this is a man’s world” and “if you can’t handle it then go work for Walmart,” according to the complaint.
About a year after the EEOC brought the lawsuit, Balfour Beatty has agreed to settle the case by paying $80,000 in damages and providing additional relief, the agency announced in a Sept. 9 news release.
Mark Konchar, Balfour Beatty’s U.S. Civils president and managing director of rail operations, said in a statement provided to McClatchy News on Sept. 9 that “We are committed to providing a workplace where everyone feels respected and valued.”
“While this matter has been settled, we have no tolerance for unacceptable behavior,” Konchar said. “We expect all our people to be respectful and inclusive and to hold each other to account.”
The EEOC’s lawsuit accused Balfour Beatty of allowing the sexual harassment to continue by disregarding it.
The company’s “inaction allowed the male employees to further abuse (the woman), causing her significant and continuing distress,” the complaint says.
After she complained to the company’s upper management, they reassigned her from a “sought-after” work project to a “less desirable” assignment, according to the complaint.
This was done in retaliation, the EEOC charged.
As part of a two-year consent decree, Balfour Beatty must implement an updated anti-discrimination and harassment policy, train employees and “refrain from discriminating against employees because of their sex,” the agency said.
“This case illustrates that employers need to take swift action on employee complaints of sexual harassment and hostile work environment before the conduct escalates. Failure to do so will result in employer liability under Title VII,” Melinda C. Dugas, an EEOC regional attorney for the agency’s Charlotte district office, said in a statement.
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination and harassment in the workplace.
This story was originally published September 9, 2024 at 3:17 PM with the headline "‘This is a man’s world.’ Female truck driver owed $80K in sex harassment case, feds say."
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