Full Text of HR1024 100th General Assembly
HR1024 100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | HOUSE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, Nearly a quarter-century ago, Ford Motor Company | 3 | | was thrust into the spotlight when female employees came | 4 | | forward to reveal they were subject to a hostile work | 5 | | environment, which included sexual and racial harassment, | 6 | | inside their factories; subsequently, several lawsuits, an | 7 | | Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) investigation, | 8 | | and a $22 million settlement to employees who experienced | 9 | | harassment have done nothing to change the culture of | 10 | | harassment that has spread throughout the Ford Motor Company | 11 | | plants in Chicago; today, women at these same plants say they | 12 | | have been subjected to many of the same abuses; in an industry | 13 | | once exclusive to men, these abuses are especially brazen; and
| 14 | | WHEREAS, Women joined the work force at Ford during World | 15 | | War II, when the factory made M8 armored cars; it was not until | 16 | | the 1970s that women routinely held permanent jobs on the line; | 17 | | these jobs allowed them to collect union wages while working | 18 | | for one of America's most storied companies; however, inside | 19 | | the two Chicago plants, women were treated as property or prey | 20 | | by their bosses and fellow laborers; they were subjected to | 21 | | offensive graffiti, crude comments about their bodies, | 22 | | unwanted physical advances, and the pressure of trading sexual | 23 | | acts for better assignments; and like those who complained | 24 | | several years ago, these women were mocked, dismissed, |
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| 1 | | threatened, and ostracized; and
| 2 | | WHEREAS, Some of the women felt doubly victimized, as they | 3 | | were propositioned and called names by their male co-workers; | 4 | | veteran employees warned that reporting a co-worker's | 5 | | inappropriate behavior would only bring more trouble, | 6 | | including the infliction of petty humiliations, such as denying | 7 | | bathroom breaks; calls for help were often met with hostility, | 8 | | resistance, or inaction from the union, whose leadership is | 9 | | mostly male; and
| 10 | | WHEREAS, Over the years, Ford Motor Company did not act | 11 | | aggressively or consistently enough to put an end to the | 12 | | problem; the Company delayed firing those accused of harassment | 13 | | and left workers to conclude that offenders would not be | 14 | | punished and retaliation would be tolerated; the ongoing | 15 | | misconduct was damaging to the victims, causing anxiety and | 16 | | depression; and
| 17 | | WHEREAS, Many of the women who reported the harassment have | 18 | | felt betrayed by both Ford and their lawyers and said they were | 19 | | pressured into giving up their jobs; and
| 20 | | WHEREAS, By 2015, half of all sexual harassment and gender | 21 | | discrimination complaints lodged with the Equal Employment | 22 | | Opportunity Commission originated in Chicago; the current |
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| 1 | | lawsuit against Ford involves approximately 30 plaintiffs and | 2 | | accuses multiple local union representatives of harassing | 3 | | women or obstructing their complaints; therefore, be it
| 4 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | 5 | | HUNDREDTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we | 6 | | call on all departments of the Illinois Government, the City of | 7 | | Chicago, and Cook County to refuse to enter into any new | 8 | | contracts or to extend or renew any existing contracts with | 9 | | Ford Motor Company LLC; and be it further
| 10 | | RESOLVED, That the Illinois and Cook County Treasurers, as | 11 | | well as the Chicago City Clerk, divest any and all taxpayer | 12 | | assets form Ford Motor Company until Ford is found compliant | 13 | | with the guidelines of sexual harassment put forth by the U.S. | 14 | | Equal Employment Opportunity Commission; and be it further
| 15 | | RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be | 16 | | presented to the Governor of Illinois, the Illinois Treasurer, | 17 | | the Cook County Treasurer, the Mayor of the City of Chicago, | 18 | | and the Cook County Board.
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