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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, Nearly a quarter-century ago, Ford Motor Company
3was thrust into the spotlight when female employees came
4forward to reveal they were subject to a hostile work
5environment, which included sexual and racial harassment,
6inside their factories; subsequently, several lawsuits, an
7Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) investigation,
8and a $22 million settlement to employees who experienced
9harassment have done nothing to change the culture of
10harassment that has spread throughout the Ford Motor Company
11plants in Chicago; today, women at these same plants say they
12have been subjected to many of the same abuses; in an industry
13once exclusive to men, these abuses are especially brazen; and
 
14    WHEREAS, Women joined the work force at Ford during World
15War II, when the factory made M8 armored cars; it was not until
16the 1970s that women routinely held permanent jobs on the line;
17these jobs allowed them to collect union wages while working
18for one of America's most storied companies; however, inside
19the two Chicago plants, women were treated as property or prey
20by their bosses and fellow laborers; they were subjected to
21offensive graffiti, crude comments about their bodies,
22unwanted physical advances, and the pressure of trading sexual
23acts for better assignments; and like those who complained
24several years ago, these women were mocked, dismissed,

 

 

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1threatened, and ostracized; and
 
2    WHEREAS, Some of the women felt doubly victimized, as they
3were propositioned and called names by their male co-workers;
4veteran employees warned that reporting a co-worker's
5inappropriate behavior would only bring more trouble,
6including the infliction of petty humiliations, such as denying
7bathroom breaks; calls for help were often met with hostility,
8resistance, or inaction from the union, whose leadership is
9mostly male; and
 
10    WHEREAS, Over the years, Ford Motor Company did not act
11aggressively or consistently enough to put an end to the
12problem; the Company delayed firing those accused of harassment
13and left workers to conclude that offenders would not be
14punished and retaliation would be tolerated; the ongoing
15misconduct was damaging to the victims, causing anxiety and
16depression; and
 
17    WHEREAS, Many of the women who reported the harassment have
18felt betrayed by both Ford and their lawyers and said they were
19pressured into giving up their jobs; and
 
20    WHEREAS, By 2015, half of all sexual harassment and gender
21discrimination complaints lodged with the Equal Employment
22Opportunity Commission originated in Chicago; the current

 

 

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1lawsuit against Ford involves approximately 30 plaintiffs and
2accuses multiple local union representatives of harassing
3women or obstructing their complaints; therefore, be it
 
4    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
5HUNDREDTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
6call on all departments of the Illinois Government, the City of
7Chicago, and Cook County to refuse to enter into any new
8contracts or to extend or renew any existing contracts with
9Ford Motor Company LLC; and be it further
 
10    RESOLVED, That the Illinois and Cook County Treasurers, as
11well as the Chicago City Clerk, divest any and all taxpayer
12assets form Ford Motor Company until Ford is found compliant
13with the guidelines of sexual harassment put forth by the U.S.
14Equal Employment Opportunity Commission; and be it further
 
15    RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
16presented to the Governor of Illinois, the Illinois Treasurer,
17the Cook County Treasurer, the Mayor of the City of Chicago,
18and the Cook County Board.