By Jonathan Stempel
(Reuters) – Employment equality in the US. Chance (SO:) The Commission on Friday sued two major automakers, accusing General Motors (NYSE and United Auto Workers of age discrimination and the Stellantis unit (NYSE that includes Chrysler of subjecting female employees to sexual harassment.
GM and UAW were accused of having maintained since October 2019 a sickness and accident benefits policy under their collective bargaining agreement that reduces payments to older employees who receive Social Security benefits.
The EEOC said the policy, which covers at least 50 GM facilities nationwide, discriminates against employees age 66 and older, violating the federal Age Discrimination in Employment Act.
Meanwhile, Stellantis' US FCA unit was accused of having tolerated widespread sexual harassment against female employees at a Detroit assembly plant since December 2020, and of routinely ignoring their complaints about male supervisors and co-workers. , some of whom were placed in leadership roles.
The EEOC said the alleged harassment included inappropriate touching and sexually charged comments, and coupled with the FCA's failure to discipline male harassers created a hostile work environment that violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. .
GM had no immediate comment and has not yet reviewed her complaint. The FCA and UAW did not immediately respond to requests for comment on their respective cases.
GM and UAW's lawsuit seeks to recover benefits that workers 66 and older deserved but never received, while the FCA lawsuit seeks compensatory and punitive damages for female employees at the Detroit plant.
Both lawsuits also seek permanent injunctions against future unlawful conduct.
GM and UAW were sued in federal court in New Albany, Indiana, while FCA was sued in federal court in Detroit.
The lawsuits are part of a series of enforcement actions taken by several federal agencies in the final days of the Biden administration.
It is unclear how the EEOC's enforcement priorities will change after President-elect Donald Trump enters the White House.
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