SEXUAL HARASSMENT AND RETALIATION: Ohio-Based Bus Operator Agrees to $150,000 Settlement Fee

February 3, 2011

Los Angeles – Ohio-based school bus operator, First Student, Inc., has agreed to pay $150,000 as settlement to the sexual harassment and retaliation lawsuit filed by the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the agency announced Thursday.

According to the lawsuit, a male supervisor at their facility in Los Angeles sexually harassed four female employees and also experienced retaliation from a manager. The supervisor often made explicit remarks about their body parts and would describe the sexual acts he wanted to perform on them.

At one point, the supervisor physically harassed one bus driver by exposing himself, grabbing the breast of a bus driver, and rubbing his private parts on her. One bus driver had her hours cut after refusing to the harasser’s advances, while promised extra hours for those who will comply. Three victims were forced to resign because of this.

The victims said they complained about the harassment to a male manager, but the EEOC said that the manager failed to correct the situation. Instead, he disciplined one of the victims and transferred another as retaliation for complaining.

The lawsuit was filed by the EEOC against First Student, Inc. on September 2009. Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act prohibits gender discrimination in employment, which may come in the form of sexual harassment and retaliation.

Aside from the settlement, the parties entered into a consent decree which will require the company to hire an EEO consultant who will help to modify their policies, complaint procedure, investigations, and training of employees on discrimination, harassment, and retaliation.

It will also require the supervisors to report any complaints to their human resources department within 24 hours upon recipient, and the creation of a centralized tracking system for complaints. First Student locations in Los Angeles and Orange counties are to comply with this decree, which is valid until 2012, while EEOC will monitor the compliance.

According to the First Student, Inc. website, the company is the leading school bus transportation services company in North America. They provide services to over 1,500 school districts in 42 states, transporting six million students every day.