Con Edison will pay $750,000 to settle suit alleging harassment of female field workers

Audio By Carbonatix

NEW YORK (AP) — The New York utility provider Con Edison has agreed to pay $750,000 and implement a host of anti-harassment reforms to settle a lawsuit claiming it routinely ignored discrimination complaints brought by female field workers.

The settlement, announced Tuesday, comes after a multiyear investigation by the New York Attorney Letitia James found a “broad culture of harassment and discrimination, particularly directed toward women employees in the traditionally male-dominated field workforce.”

When female field workers complained of harassment, the company — which provides electricity to more than 10 million customers in New York City and Westchester County — failed to take those claims seriously, the settlement states.

In one instance, Con Ed offered to relocate a woman who had complained about a “traumatizing” incident involving a male coworker, but it did not offer to transfer the man or limit his interaction at the woman’s workplace.

Female field workers also reported being blocked by their supervisors from applying for promotions and hearing exclusionary comments, such as “women don’t belong in this department.” The investigation also found female employees were disciplined at higher rates than their male counterparts.

“Con Ed failed to protect its workers, allowing toxic, dangerous, and unlawful behavior to persist for years,” James said in a statement. “The company’s inaction is unacceptable, and today we are ensuring this illegal and discriminatory behavior is never tolerated again.”

A statement from Con Ed said the company was committed to creating “an environment free of harassment and discrimination for each and every one of our employees, including women in underrepresented roles in the field.”

“While this settlement is not an admission of wrongdoing by Con Edison, it is in the best interest of our employees and an opportunity to learn from the experiences raised, and to evolve our processes,” the statement continued.

In addition to paying $750,000, Con Ed has also agreed to hire an independent consultant to oversee its investigative procedures and establish an employee resource group to discuss workplace conditions.