Lynbrook construction firm pays $1.5M sexual harassment settlement to employees

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A Lynbrook construction firm has to pay a $1.5 million settlement to 18 former employees who were victims of sexual harassment and workplace retaliation.

New York Attorney General Letitia James announced the settlement, noting that the employees of Tradeoff, LLC, at 68 Whitehall St. in Lynbrook, suffered physical and verbal harassment, demands of sexual acts for pay and other violations.

"All employees deserve to work in an environment where they are valued and respected and not subjected to harassment," James said in a release. "Today's agreement will end Tradeoff's deplorable and unlawful treatment of its female employees and provide affirmative relief to the brave women who came forward. My office remains committed to seeking justice on behalf of workers and mandating accountability on the part of employers. Sexual harassment will never be tolerated, not in construction and not in any other industry."

In a statement, Tradeoff administrators said they were committed to working collaboratively with the attorney general's office, and that many of the complaints were driven by a long-lasting dispute with a union that had trouble competing with Tradeoff for labor services.

"Tradeoff considers any level of harassment to be unacceptable, and deeply regrets that our processes for training and oversight failed some of the women who worked for us," the statement read.

An investigation into the company revealed a pattern of sexual harassment against female employees that went on for many years, James said, as well as retaliation against many of them when they complained about the issues. This case is the attorney general's first agreement involving sexual harassment in the construction industry.

According to James, Tradeoff, a company that provides non-union, general labor at construction sites, engaged in  sexual harassment and retaliation against workers who were primarily women of color. After interviews were conducted with witnesses and documents were reviewed, it was revealed that at least 16 women were harassed because of Tradeoff's failure to prevent or adequately respond to sexual harassment at its worksites. Additionally, at least 12 workers were fired after they complained of harassment against themselves or their coworkers.

According to James, managers at the company demanded sexual acts from female employees in exchange for pay and overtime opportunities. The women were also subjected to verbal harassment by male employees, and were sent explicit photos and videos from managers and employees. Managers at the company also failed to take adequate steps in ending the harassment when formal complaints were made. 

As part of the settelement, Tradeoff must also employ an outside monitor for three years and create a new sexual harassment policy, which will be subject to review by James's office. Additionally, the company must report regularly to the attorney general's office regarding implementation of policies and its investigations into any sexual harassment complaints.