CLEVELAND — Pilot Plastics, which operated a plastics manufacturing company in Peninsula, Ohio, has agreed to pay $52,500 in monetary relief to a former employee to resolve a sex discrimination and retaliation charge filed with the U. S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency announced today.

Following an investigation, the EEOC found reasonable cause to believe Pilot Plastics discriminated against a former employee because of his sex by subjecting him to sexual harassment and then retaliating against him when he complained; by demoting, discipling, and constructively discharging him. The alleged harassment included inappropriate comments and touching by a company official. Despite complaints to management, the sexual harassment and retaliation continued.

Such alleged conduct violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits sexual harassment in the workplace as well as retaliating against an employee for reporting or opposing harassment.

The conciliation agreement was reached with the EEOC’s Cleveland Field Office, which is monitoring compliance with the voluntary settlement.

“The EEOC is committed to enforcing the Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 requirement which mandates that employers must ensure the workplace is free of unlawful discrimination, including any harassment and retaliation,” said Dilip Gokhale, director of the EEOC’s Cleveland Field Office.

The Cleveland Field Office is one of four offices in the Philadelphia District.  The Philadelphia District Office has jurisdiction over West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, and parts of Ohio and New Jersey.

More information about sexual harassment is available at https://www.eeoc.gov/sexual-harassment.

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