AMZ Manufacturing Co. to Pay $110,000 in EEOC Sexual Harassment Suit

PHILADELPHIA – AMZ Manufacturing Co. (AMZ), an electroplating, painting and assembly business based in York, Pennsylvania, will pay $110,000 and provide other relief to resolve a sexual harassment lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency announced today.

According to the EEOC’s lawsuit, multiple male employees and supervisors subjected two female employees to a hostile work environment through sexually charged and demeaning sex-based comments. One of the women, a plater, endured unwelcome sexual advances, crude comments about her sexual orientation, and inappropriate touching, while a former female employee, a production planner, faced persistent catcalling, vulgar comments about the female anatomy, and was told “only if I can mount you first” when she asked a male employe to move a dry erase board. AMZ failed to take prompt and appropriate action to stop the harassment, the EEOC said.

Sexual harassment violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The EEOC filed suit (EEOC v. AMZ Manufacturing Co., Civil Action No. 1:23-cv-01587) in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania after first attempting to reach a prelitigation settlement through its conciliation process.

In addition to providing monetary relief to the two victims, the two-year consent decree resolving the suit requires AMZ to implement a revised sexual harassment policy, appoint a third-party ombudsman to receive and review complaints of harassment, and provide periodic reports to the EEOC identifying any complaints of sex-based harassment and describing the company’s investigation and response. Employees at AMZ’s facilities will receive in-person training on Title VII’s prohibition of sex-based harassment, including harassment based on sexual orientation, and the managers and human resources personnel will receive additional training on sexual harassment.

“All too often, women employed in manufacturing jobs experience sexual harassment that sends a message that they do not belong in these workplaces,” said Debra Lawrence, regional attorney for the EEOC’s Philadelphia District Office. “Such conduct is illegal, and the EEOC will fight hard to end these practices and to achieve justice for the victims.”

Philadelphia District Director Jamie R. Williamson added, “Employers violate federal law when their managers engage in and tolerate a culture of sexual harassment. We are pleased that the consent decree reached in this case provides significant relief to ensure that sexual harassment is prevented in the future.” 

For more information on sexual harassment, please visit https://www.eeoc.gov/sexual-harassment.

The 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 from Washington, D.C. and parts of Virginia.

The EEOC prevents and remedies unlawful employment discrimination and advances equal opportunity for all. More information is available at www.eeoc.gov. Stay connected with the latest EEOC news by subscribing to our email updates.