PHILADELPHIA - Germantown Tool, a manufacturing company in Huntingdon Valley, Pa., will pay $105,000 and furnish significant equitable relief to settle a harassment and retaliation charge filed with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency announced today.

Following an investigation, the EEOC found probable cause to believe that Germantown Tool harassed a former employee based upon his sex and terminated him in retaliation for his complaints about the harassment.

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits harassment based on sex. The statute also prohibits retaliation because someone has complained about unlawful harassment.

Germantown Tool will pay monetary relief to the employee and revise its harassment policies. The company will hire qualified external trainers to conduct anti-discrimination training and report to the EEOC on how it handles any future complaints about harassment and retaliation, as well as its compliance with the voluntary settlement.

"We commend Germantown Tool for resolving this matter voluntarily and amicably during our conciliation process," said Jamie R. Williamson, director of the EEOC's Philadelphia District. "We encourage all employers to be proactive and ensure that their workplaces are free from unlawful harassment or retaliation."

EEOC's Philadelphia District Office is one of four offices in the Philadelphia District, which has jurisdiction over Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, West Virginia, and parts of New Jersey and Ohio. Attorneys in the Philadelphia District Office also prosecute discrimination cases in Washington, D.C., and parts of Virginia.

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