ADECCO USA SUED FOR SEXUAL HARASSMENT AND RETALIATION

EEOC Charges Temporary Agency Failed to Protect Women From Abuse at Pittsburgh Plastics

PITTSBURGH  -- A global Fortune 500 staffing company failed to take appropriate action when  its employees complained about egregious sexual harassment at a plastic  manufacturing plant to which they had been assigned, the U.S. Equal Employment  Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit announced today.

According  to the EEOC’s suit, Adecco USA  assigned Veronica Jalpa and a number of other female employees to work at a Pittsburgh  Plastics Manufacturing, Inc. facility in Butler,  Pa. The EEOC charges in its lawsuit that on several  occasions a Pittsburgh Plastics supervisor rubbed his crotch against Jalpa and  other females and touched or slapped them on their buttocks. The EEOC alleges that the supervisor also  repeatedly made sexually offensive and demeaning comments to Jalpa and female  employees.

Jalpa, of Butler, and at least one  other female employee complained to Adecco officials about the sexual  harassment. Jalpa also requested to be  reassigned to a different shift to avoid the harasser. The EEOC charges that instead of ensuring  that its employees were not harassed at the Pittsburgh Plastics worksite,  Adecco joined in retaliating against Jalpa by firing her. Another Adecco employee was compelled to quit  due to the ongoing sexual harassment.

The EEOC  further charges that Adecco continued to assign female employees to work at  Pittsburgh Plastics even after receiving complaints about the sexually hostile  work environment there.
 
        Title VII of the Civil Rights Act  of 1964makes it unlawful to sexually harass an employee and to  retaliate against someone who complains about employment discrimination. The EEOC filed suit against Adecco USA (Civil  Action No. 09-1246, in  U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania) after first  attempting to reach a voluntary settlement. On Aug. 26, 2009, the EEOC had filed a  sexual harassment and retaliation lawsuit against Pittsburgh Plastics  Manufacturing, Inc. (Civil Action No. 09-1148, in U.S. District Court for the  Western District of Pennsylvania).

“As more  companies use staffing agencies to recruit employees, it is vital that both the  company and the staffing agency understand that they are each legally required  to protect their employees from sexual harassment,” said Debra Lawrence, acting  regional attorney for the EEOC’s Philadelphia District Office. “The EEOC will take action against both the  staffing agency and the employer using the staffing agency if they condone  sexual harassment or if they retaliate against workers.”
 
  EEOC Philadelphia District Director Marie M. Tomasso  added, “A staffing agency’s  obligation to protect its employees from sexual harassment and retaliation does  not end when the employees step out of the agency doors to start their work  assignments.”

Adecco USA  is part of the Zurich,  Switzerland-based Adecco Group, which calls itself “the world's leading provider of HR  solutions.” According to its web site, Adecco connects  over 700,000 associates with business clients each day through its network of  over 33,000 employees and 6,600 offices in over 70 countries and terri­tories  around the world. Additional information  about the company is available on its web site, www.adeccousa.com.

The EEOC enforces federal laws prohibiting employment  discrimination. Further information  about the EEOC is available on its web site at www.eeoc.gov.