Fresno County raisin packer to pay $2 million over sexual harassment, retaliation lawsuit
A Fowler raisin packing company will pay $2 million to settle a federal lawsuit alleging sexual harassment and retaliation against its female workforce.
The lawsuit, filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, accused Sunshine Raisin Corp., doing business as National Raisin Company, of subjecting female workers to a sexually hostile work environment at its Fowler factory since 2011.
Federal officials accused the raisin processor of failing to take appropriate corrective measures after receiving complaints about the harassment and instead retaliating against those who reported it.
National Raisin president J. Kenneth Bedrosion said in a statement Tuesday that the company agreed to settle the matter because it was in “the best interest of the company to avoid excessive litigation costs and allow the company to focus on its core business of servicing its clients.”
“As part of the settlement, National Raisin does not admit any wrongdoing and continues to take great pride in providing a safe and positive environment for all our employees,” Bedrosion said.
Also involved in the lawsuit is Select Staffing, which provided temporary and permanent employees at the raisin plant. The EEOC’s legal action against the the employment staffing agency is ongoing.
Complaints of sexual harassment, then retaliation
Court documents show that a National Raisin Company male employee, identified as John Doe, was accused of multiple acts of sexual harassment including, leering at female employees while touching his genitals; touching female employees without their consent; touching his genitals while watching female employees; rubbing himself against female employees; demanding that female employees have sex with him; and threatening to have them fired if they complained about the harassment.
EEOC officials said in a news release that the raisin company was well aware of John Doe’s history of sexually harassing female workers, many of whom spoke Spanish only. The company had documented complaints about him going back to 2006.
“Protecting vulnerable workers from harassment, retaliation and other forms of discrimination is a key enforcement priority for the Commission as set forth in the EEOC’s most recent strategic enforcement plan,” EEOC Chair Charlotte A. Burrows said in a news release. “Farmworker women, especially those with limited English proficiency, fall squarely within the category of vulnerable workers.”
According to the lawsuit, when one of the female employees wanted to complain about being sexually harassed by John Doe, she was told to talk to Select Staffing.
Before she could, Select Staffing “ended her assignment” at a request from National Raisin, the lawsuit states.
Harassed women to be compensated
The consent decree settling the suit was approved by U.S. District Judge Jennifer L. Thurston on March 11. Along with the $2 million for the harassed workers, the company is prohibited from future discrimination and retaliation.
To prevent any future harassment, the company is required to hire a third-party monitor, provide significant training and reporting practices to ensure employees feel safe and able to report misconduct. The company must also update its anti-discrimination policies to prohibit harassment of employees and temporary workers.
National Raisin will also provide periodic reports to the EEOC with information regarding any complaints about sexual harassment.
A claims process will be set up to compensate women who were sexually harassed and/or retaliated against.
If you are interested in making a claim, contact the EEOC at 213-785-3093.
This story was originally published March 12, 2024 at 4:36 PM.
