Friends of Farmworkers, Inc.

Friends of Farmworkers, Inc. has announced that, together with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), it settled a federal harassment and retaliation lawsuit brought against a large farm growers’ cooperative. The cooperative, Knouse Foods, operates seven processing plants in three states, including Pennsylvania.

Knouse Foods, which owns the Musselman Company, agreed to pay $300,000 to a class of women and provide significant remedial relief to settle the lawsuit. Friends of Farmworkers represented two members of the class who intervened as plaintiffs in the lawsuit. The two Friends of Farmworkers clients will share $225,000 in damages under the settlement agreement.

In the lawsuit, Friends of Farmworkers and the EEOC charged that a class of female farmworkers was subjected to severe sexual harassment by male coworkers at a Knouse Foods processing plant located in Gardners, PA. In addition, the lawsuit charged the women were subjected to unlawful harassment because of their Mexican national origin, and some were also wrongfully disciplined or reassigned in retaliation for their complaints about the abusive treatment.

In addition to the $300,000 in monetary relief, the three-year consent decree includes injunctions against engaging in retaliation or harassment based on sex or national origin; mandatory anti-discrimination training of all employees at the Gardners facility; and supervisor accountability to ensure that work areas be in compliance with company policies against discrimination. Knouse will also be required to report periodically to the EEOC regarding the cooperative’s investigation into and resolution of any complaints of alleged discrimination, harassment or retaliation, and must post a notice confirming Knouse’s commitment to comply with Title VII.

“We are happy with the outcome in this particular case, though unfortunately we continue to hear complaints of sexual harassment and discrimination from farmworkers in Pennsylvania,” said Staff Attorney Liz Chacko, who together with General Counsel Arthur N. Read and Paralegal Sol Maria Rivera, handled the case for Friends of Farmworkers. Friends of Farmworkers anticipates launching a new project later this year aimed at combating sexual harassment and employment discrimination among farmworkers in Pennsylvania.

The case, filed in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, is EEOC, et. al. vs. Knouse Foods Cooperative, Inc., Civil Action No. 1:09-cv-01811-CCC.

For more information contact Friends of Farmworkers, Inc. Executive Director Gisselle Guerrero, fof@friendsfw.org, telephone (215) 733-0878, ext 160 or Friends of Farmworkers, Inc. General Counsel Arthur N. Read telephone (215) 733-0878, ext 150.