Lind egg processor settles lawsuit

LIND - A Lind business agreed recently to pay $650,000 to five workers to settle a lawsuit alleging sexual harassment against female workers and poor working conditions. The workers also alleged the company retaliated against them.

The lawsuit alleged National Food Corporation, a Seattle-based egg processing company, did not address the problems and fired workers when they complained, Ty Duhamel, of Columbia Legal Services in Wenatchee, said. The firm represented the workers in conjunction with a lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

A consent decree outlining terms of the settlement was filed in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington May 15. "This consent degree is not an adjudication or finding on the merits of the case and may not be construed as an admission by National Food that it violated Title VII," the decree said.

The company agreed to write separate polices for sexual harassment and workplace discrimination, and implement a discipline policy with strong sanctions for violators. All information must be available in English and Spanish.

The case stemmed from allegations made against an on-site farm manager in Lind, according to the complaint filed in September 2012. One of the workers, a woman identified in court documents as Jane Doe, alleged the farm manager pressured her into an affair from May 2003 through February 2010. The woman said she submitted to keep her job, because she was the sole support of her daughter and mom, according to a press release from Columbia Legal Services.

According to the complaint, company representatives held a meeting with Jane Doe and other workers, as well as the production manager, about July 2009. Workers expressed concern about facility conditions, as well as the manager's conduct. But the company didn't address their concerns and fired them instead, the complaint said.

National Foods also agreed to establish a new procedure so that discrimination or harassment complaints can be made inconspicuously. The company also agreed to provide extra training on harassment and retaliation issues for supervisors, as well as training for all new employees.

Sheehan Sullivan Davis, the attorney representing National Food, said the company might want to make a statement, but didn't return a phone call asking for further reaction.