Chicago Cargo Company to Pay $135K to Settle EEOC Harassment, Retaliation Suit

Federal officials say a Chicago-based cargo handling company will pay $135,000 to settle a sexual harassment and retaliation lawsuit.

Alliance Ground International, a cargo handling company that performs cargo, mail and ramp handling services for multiple clients at several major U.S. airports, including O’Hare International Airport, will also provide injunctive relief to settle the lawsuit brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).

According to the EEOC’s lawsuit, an Alliance Ground employee filed a discrimination charge against the company, claiming that she had been sexually harassed by her supervisor and that her complaints were ignored. The EEOC’s investigation revealed that at least two other employees were harassed by the same supervisor. When a male employee witnessed the harassment and spoke out against it by reporting it to human resources, he was terminated by the very supervisor against whom he had made the complaint, the EEOC said.

Such alleged conduct violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The EEOC filed suit (EEOC v. Alliance Ground International, No 18-cv-06598) in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois in Chicago on Sept. 20, 2017 after first trying to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its conciliation process.

The consent decree settling the suit, signed by U.S. District Judge Norgle, prohibits future sex harassment and retaliation and provides that Alliance Ground will pay $135,000 to the four former employees, post a notice of the settlement, and train its employees regarding employer obligations and the rights of employees under Title VII.

Source: EEOC

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