Ford Apologizes for Sexual Harassment at Chicago Factories
Ford Motor Company apologized to its employees on Thursday for sexual harassment at two Chicago plants, addressing accusations that span more than a quarter-century.
Jim Hackett, Ford’s president and chief executive, released an open letter, saying in part: “I am sorry for any instance where a colleague was subjected to harassment or discriminatory conduct. On behalf of myself and the employees of Ford Motor Company, who condemn such behavior and regret any harassment as much as I do, I apologize. More importantly, I promise that we will learn from this and we will do better.”
Mr. Hackett said he would travel to Chicago after the holidays to speak with employees there.
The letter followed the publication of a New York Times article based on interviews with more than 70 current and former workers detailing accounts of sexual harassment and retaliation at the two factories, Chicago Assembly and Chicago Stamping. “Candidly, it was gut wrenching to read the accounts of these women in The New York Times article,” Mr. Hackett wrote, adding that “there is absolutely no room for harassment at Ford Motor Company.”
Harassment complaints had prompted several previous lawsuits and two settlements with the federal agency that combats workplace discrimination, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. In August, the agency reached a $10 million agreement with Ford over sexual and racial harassment at the plants. A separate lawsuit with about 30 plaintiffs is still making its way through the courts. In the 1990s, a string of lawsuits and an E.E.O.C. investigation resulted in a $22 million settlement and a commitment by Ford to crack down. As is customary, Ford did not admit liability in either settlement.
Suzette Wright, a former Ford worker who joined one of the suits, has long awaited this moment. After a settlement was announced in 1999, she barged into a news conference and demanded an apology from a Ford executive, who issued a carefully parsed statement that stopped short of the unreserved apology Mr. Hackett issued on Thursday.
Photo
Suzette Wright, a former Ford worker who joined one of the suits, began to cry when told of Ford’s apology. “I’m glad they did that,” she said. “You can’t make a change without acknowledging that you did something wrong.”CreditAlyssa Schukar for The New York Times
When told of the letter, Ms. Wright began to cry. “I’m glad they did that,” she said. “You can’t make a change without acknowledging that you did something wrong.” Ms. Wright said she left Ford after she was told it was a condition of her settlement; Ford lawyers said that was optional.
Gwajuana Gray, who has worked at Ford since 1991 and joined a lawsuit in the 1990s, said that after the Times article was published online Tuesday, she began experiencing retaliation from a supervisor. She said he docked her pay by recording fewer hours than she had actually worked. The supervisor did not respond to messages seeking comment.
“I am beside myself,” she said. “I can’t continue to function this way.”
She said that she welcomed the apology but that she is waiting to see if Ford acts against men in the plant she considers longtime harassers. “It has to be a different environment, a different culture,” she said. “I hate for people to be fired, but if they won’t change, or they think they are untouchable, they have to be fired.”
Mr. Hackett said he would travel to Chicago after the holidays to speak with employees there.
The letter followed the publication of a New York Times article based on interviews with more than 70 current and former workers detailing accounts of sexual harassment and retaliation at the two factories, Chicago Assembly and Chicago Stamping. “Candidly, it was gut wrenching to read the accounts of these women in The New York Times article,” Mr. Hackett wrote, adding that “there is absolutely no room for harassment at Ford Motor Company.”
Harassment complaints had prompted several previous lawsuits and two settlements with the federal agency that combats workplace discrimination, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. In August, the agency reached a $10 million agreement with Ford over sexual and racial harassment at the plants. A separate lawsuit with about 30 plaintiffs is still making its way through the courts. In the 1990s, a string of lawsuits and an E.E.O.C. investigation resulted in a $22 million settlement and a commitment by Ford to crack down. As is customary, Ford did not admit liability in either settlement.
Suzette Wright, a former Ford worker who joined one of the suits, has long awaited this moment. After a settlement was announced in 1999, she barged into a news conference and demanded an apology from a Ford executive, who issued a carefully parsed statement that stopped short of the unreserved apology Mr. Hackett issued on Thursday.
Suzette Wright, a former Ford worker who joined one of the suits, began to cry when told of Ford’s apology. “I’m glad they did that,” she said. “You can’t make a change without acknowledging that you did something wrong.”
When told of the letter, Ms. Wright began to cry. “I’m glad they did that,” she said. “You can’t make a change without acknowledging that you did something wrong.” Ms. Wright said she left Ford after she was told it was a condition of her settlement; Ford lawyers said that was optional.
Gwajuana Gray, who has worked at Ford since 1991 and joined a lawsuit in the 1990s, said that after the Times article was published online Tuesday, she began experiencing retaliation from a supervisor. She said he docked her pay by recording fewer hours than she had actually worked. The supervisor did not respond to messages seeking comment.
“I am beside myself,” she said. “I can’t continue to function this way.”
She said that she welcomed the apology but that she is waiting to see if Ford acts against men in the plant she considers longtime harassers. “It has to be a different environment, a different culture,” she said. “I hate for people to be fired, but if they won’t change, or they think they are untouchable, they have to be fired.”
When Mr. Hackett visits the plants, she said, she would like him to speak to workers individually, away from plant or union officials. She and many other workers interviewed said that some officials at the local United Automobile Workers union have harassed women themselves or discouraged them from filing complaints.
Mr. Hackett outlined a number of measures that Ford had taken, including extensive training programs, increased staffing to investigate complaints, monetary awards that would be available through the settlement and independent monitors who would oversee compliance for up to five years.
But Mr. Hackett acknowledged in the letter that there was more to do. “This has been a learning experience about how difficult it is to root out bad behavior,” he said.