EEOC ANNOUNCES $550,000 SEXUAL HARASSMENT SETTLEMENT

The EEOC has announced the settlement of a sexual harassment lawsuit against GLC Restaurants (GLC) for $550,000 and remedial relief on behalf of a class of teenage workers who were sexually harassed by a middle-aged male supervisor, including unwanted touching and lewd comments. GLC is a franchisee doing business as McDonald’s Restaurants in Arizona and California.

Background:
The EEOC alleged in the lawsuit that the male supervisor in question was a repeat offender who subjected eight young women to a sexually hostile workplace. The same manager had allegedly harassed teen female employees at another GLC-owned McDonald’s Restaurant. The EEOC said the company knew of this manager’s earlier conduct, but failed to take appropriate action to prevent him from repeating the unlawful behavior.

Settlement:
The settlement calls for GLC to take the following actions, including:

• Pay $550,000 to the eight young women;




• Agree to an injunction prohibiting the company from discriminating based on sex;




• Provide sexual harassment training to its employees;




• Review and revise its policy and procedures for reporting harassment;




• Take complaints about unlawful conduct seriously;




• Investigate complaints promptly; and




• Ensure there will be no retaliation against employees who complain.

(EEOC v. GLC Restaurants, Inc., d/b/a/ McDonald’s Restaurant, Civil Action No. CIV-05-0618-PCT-DGC).