Ms. Garcia receives her settlement payment.
The long-term workplace anti-harassment measures CRLA fights for include additional training and education about harassment, making materials and trainings available in Spanish for the largely Spanish-speaking workforce, and continued oversight and monitoring of a workplace well after a case closes.
Ensuring permanent workplace change is also an effective way to curb retaliation. Most incidents of sexual harassment in agriculture, warehousing, and other low-wage industries have a retaliation component, in which a worker faces retaliatory measures after coming forward about harassment.
For Francisca Alvarado Garcia - a named plaintiff represented by Andres Garcia, CRLA's Directing Attorney in Oxnard, in a recent case involving sexual harassment of Latina workers at two Oxnard orchid growers - it was not about the money. Garcia wanted permanent change in the workplace, and a voice for others like her who have suffered harassment.
Throughout the case, Garcia was adamant about ensuring fellow plaintiffs receiving settlement payments. She also wanted to make sure that future harassment prevention measures were included in the settlement agreement-even if it jeopardized her personal settlement. The final settlement for the workers was $240,000, plus a requirement that the employers make long-lasting changes in workplace sexual harassment education and reporting.
Read more about Garcia's case >>
Educating Service Providers for Lasting Change
CRLA goes beyond the courtroom to educate and reach out into communities about sexual harassment and sexual violence. In the central valley, for example, CRLA partners with other nonprofit and women's organizations like Lideres Campesinas to bring together community members, coworkers, and organization members in a safe space.