Latina Janitor Suffered Physical and Verbal Abuse by Supervisor, Federal Agency Charges

RENTON, Wash. – CCS Facility Services, Inc. has agreed to provide payment and furnish other relief to resolve a sexual harassment complaint filed with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the agency announced today.

The Latina janitor who filed the charge with the EEOC alleged that she suffered sexual comments, unwelcome touching and other unwanted sexual conduct by her direct supervisor for well over a year, despite making multiple complaints.

Following an extensive investigation, the EEOC found reasonable cause to believe the company failed in its obligation to provide a workplace free from unlawful harassment and discrimination and, in so doing, violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Through the EEOC’s conciliation process, CCS Facility Services has voluntarily entered into a pre-litigation settlement. As part of this settlement, the company agreed to pay a monetary sum to the janitorial worker and to update its policies and procedures for the future: provide an alternative, anonymous complaint reporting process for employees; promptly respond to and investigate complaints of harassment and discrimination; and provide training for employees in the state of Washington. In addition, CCS Facility Services will provide periodic updates and reports to EEOC for a term of four years.

“There is no justification for failing to take action once a company becomes aware of allegations of sexual harassment, particularly when the alleged harasser is a supervisor,” said Elizabeth Cannon, director of the EEOC’s Seattle Field Office. “We commend CSS Facility Services for participating in the conciliation process and taking these initial steps to protect employees in the state of Washington from unlawful harassment and discrimination.”

According to https://ccsbts.com, CCS Facility Services, Inc., is an integrated facility services company headquartered in Denver, with thousands of cleaning and building engineering professionals across the United States, including in the state of Washington.

More information about sexual harassment can be found at https://www.eeoc.gov/sexual-harassment.

The EEOC’s Seattle Field Office has jurisdiction over Western Washington.

The EEOC advances opportunity in the workplace by enforcing federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. More information is available at www.eeoc.gov.