Milwaukee news media has over the past couple of months contained story after story of powerful men whose successful careers in politics, media and business have been derailed by allegations of sexual harassment, sexual assault and other forms of unacceptable misconduct.
The Washington Post recently asked 16 leaders for their one best idea on how to stop sexual harassment in the workplace. Because the article is a long one, we’re going to summarize some of its points that we found key.
Gretchen Carlson, formerly of Fox News, says it is vital to change the law. She has been working to help craft the Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Harassment Act, which would give victims the right to confront harassers in court. She says the proposal aims to give employees the ability to choose to take their claims to arbitration or court, which would essentially deny harassers the ability to hind behind forced arbitration clauses in employment contracts.
A Washington DC employment law attorney said that her idea is to require public companies to provide corporate reporting. She says existing law, such as Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, should be amended to require companies to disclose how many sexual harassment claims they have settled, how much they paid, and which corrective actions they have taken.
Congresswoman Jackie Speier of California says her proposed Member and Employee Training and Oversight on Congress Act (known as the Me Too Congress Act) will help to crack down on sexual harassers in Congress. The act would make awards and settlements more transparent, forcing our nation’s representatives to be more accountable to voters.
It would also make those members of Congress personally responsible for footing the bill — they would have to write a check to the victim rather than having taxpayers cover the costs.
There are lots of good ideas listed in the article, but one of the most effective ways of dealing with workplace harassment, discrimination and retaliation is left out: protecting your rights and career with the help of an employment law attorney experienced in sexual harassment litigation.
You can contact Alan C. Olson & Associates, s.c. to discuss the legal options available in your situation.