An auto parts company headquartered in Northern Kentucky faces federal allegations managers at its Tennessee facility engaged in sexual harassment.
A suit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission June 30 says supervisors at Toyota Boshoku's Jackson, Tennessee, plant made inappropriate comments to women subordinates and suggested sexual favors in exchange for promotions. The filing also alleges men at the plant groped women they were working with.
The filing in U.S. District Court claims the harassment took place between 2021 and 2024 and that some women were driven to quit their jobs due to the working atmosphere at the facility. Others who complained about the practices were fired, authorities allege.
“Employers have a duty to protect their female workers, especially in workplaces like automotive production plants where women historically have found few inroads to employment and advancement,” EEOC Memphis District Director Delner Franklin-Thomas said in a news release. “By enacting strong policies and procedures to ensure women are free to pursue advancement based on their merits and that all complaints of sexual harassment are taken seriously and adequately investigated, employers can better fulfill their obligations under federal law to create a safe work environment free from harassment.”
The release from the EEOC says it attempted to come to a resolution with the company prior to filing the litigation, but negotiations were not successful.
Boshoku makes interior components and filtration systems for Toyota. Its headquarters, including the human resources office that would have handled the sexual harassment complaints, are in Erlanger, according to the EEOC filing.
The suit alleges violations of Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act against discrimination based on sex. It seeks damages for an unspecified number of women who experienced harassment at the facility. The EEOC's Memphis District Office encourages people who have information about the allegations to call (901) 685-4590.
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