LOS LUNAS N.M. A McDonald’s franchisee has agreed to pay $115,000 to settle a sexual harassment lawsuit the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission had filed last summer on the behalf of two female employees, the agency said Tuesday.
LPG Enterprises Inc., which operates about 15 McDonald’s restaurants in Albuquerque and the surrounding areas, has agreed to pay $90,000 to Alejandra Jasso and $25,000 of Antoinette Trujillo, who were plaintiffs in the case and no longer work for the franchisee. The lawsuit had alleged a male manager at Los Lunas-based LPG Enterprises subjected the two women to physical and verbal sexual harassment.
Under the settlement, LPG agreed to provide letters of reference for the former female employees and training on sex discrimination for all employees. It also agreed to display posted notices extolling non-discrimination in the workplace. The settlement decree also included an injunction prohibiting LPG from any further discrimination or retaliation.
Aspokeswoman for LPG said the company has taken immediate steps to make certain all of its employees know of and abide by respectful employment practices.
“Nothing is more important to us than the safety and well-being of our employees and customers,” a McDonald’s Corp. spokeswoman Crystal Sawyer said. “We maintain a strict policy prohibiting any form of harassment in our restaurants and will continue to take all necessary measures, including training, to ensure that employees continue to adhere to this policy.”
In 2007, LPG had been listed among the top 25 female-owned companies in the state by a local magazine. LPG is owned by Pearlene and Larry Garcia and nearly 75 percent of its managers are women.
Contact Dina Berta at [email protected].