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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, According to a recent case in front of the Equal
3Employment Opportunity Commission, between 2012 and 2014 more
4than 1,500 female workers at Ford Motor Company production
5plants across the nation were subject to sexual harassment and
6sexual abuse by both Ford management and officials from the
7United Auto Workers Union; and
 
8    WHEREAS, Ford Motor Company and the United Auto Workers
9International Union (U.A.W.) have been subjected to many
10previous investigations involving sexual harassment; the
11stubborn persistence of harassment among women in the
12automotive industry is widespread and underreported; and
 
13    WHEREAS, Ford's Chicago Assembly Plant and the Chicago
14Stamping Plant have been particularly harsh working
15environments, with numerous reports of women being subjected to
16harassment and physical assault such as trading sexual favors
17for overtime pay and fellow employees describing graphic sexual
18acts to their female co-workers; and
 
19    WHEREAS, This disturbing behavior extends to the officials
20of the U.A.W., which employs multiple union representatives who
21themselves have been accused of sexual harassment; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, Multiple women at Ford's Chicago plants have come
2to their union representatives with sexual harassment
3complaints, only to be rebuffed by union representatives
4claiming cases are not sexual harassment because "he only did
5it one time" and "That's just him-he has no filter"; and
 
6    WHEREAS, Federal Labor Law states that a union may not "act
7arbitrarily, discriminatorily, or in fraud, deceit, or
8dishonesty" or "discipline a member for refusing to engage in
9an unlawful activity or for testifying against other members in
10a grievance meeting or an arbitration proceeding"; and
 
11    WHEREAS, The U.A.W. has also been accused of gross
12financial corruption among upper level officials, including
13accepting money from auto companies in order to take
14company-friendly positions; and
 
15    WHEREAS, The U.A.W. exists to serve its members, but it is
16clear that they are actively playing a part in cultivating a
17culture of harassment at Ford; therefore, be it
 
18    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
19HUNDREDTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
20urge the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Illinois
21Department of Human Rights, and the U.S. Department of Labor to
22investigate the culture of harassment within the U.A.W. and

 

 

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1provide increased support for the brave women who have detailed
2their experiences within the Ford Motor Company; and be it
3further
 
4    RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
5delivered to the Acting Chair and the Commissioners of the
6Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Secretary of the
7U.S. Department of Labor, the Director of the Illinois
8Department of Human Rights, the President and Board of the
9United Auto Workers International, and the Board of Directors
10at Ford Motor Company.