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Lawsuit Accuses DEP Of Sexism
By
Jen Chung
Published Apr 13, 2009
Modified Apr 13, 2009
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By
Jen Chung
Published Apr 13, 2009
Modified Apr 13, 2009
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Two female employees with the city's Department of Environmental Protection are suing the department on federal discrimination charges. The Daily News reports, "Lillian Padilla and Magda Rodriguez say they get the hardest and dirtiest jobs, are routinely threatened and insulted, and are denied showers or changing rooms after working in sewage." The pair say they've had pornography put in their trucks, been called "bitches" and "dykes" (they are lesbians) and been threatened when they've complained. They also claim that other female employees have left due to the atmosphere—out of the 426 DEP laborers, five are women—with Padilla adding, "I once had a supervisor telling me that he would never have a woman telling a man what to do." The DEP said it is investigating the complaint, which has been filed with the EEOC. Rodriguez said, "I just want the policies changed so that women have equal rights. I have no shower. She has no shower. We work in sewage. That's what we do all day."
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department of environmental protection
lawsuit
sexism
sexual harassment
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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