Saipan airport firm settles sexual harassment lawsuit

SAIPAN >> Pacific Airport Services Inc., an airport services provider for various airlines servicing Saipan, will pay $65,000 and furnish other relief to settle a sexual harassment lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the federal agency said.

The EEOC filed suit against the company in 2009, charging that a number of customer service agents were sexually harassed by their male supervisor while working for Pacific Airport Services at the Saipan International Airport between 2006 and 2007. The EEOC asserts that the supervisor continuously subjected the women to sexual comments and advances, asking the women to perform sexual acts. In at least one instance, the supervisor allegedly requested oral sex from one of the customer service agents. The supervisor also grabbed the women, fondled their buttocks and placed his pelvic area in front of a female employee’s face, according to the EEOC.

Despite complaints about the sexual harassment to management, the EEOC said that the supervisor was not adequately disciplined since he maintained his supervisory authority. In fact, the EEOC contends that at least one of the women was forced to resign as a result of continued hostility on the part of her supervisor.

Saipan-based Pacific Airport Services began operating in 1991 and provides a variety of services for airlines in Saipan including technical operations, security, cleaning and passenger services.

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