Chicago area workers rally, file sexual harassment claims against employers

Jesus and his wife, Noemi, faced constant sexual harassment at their previous jobs, they said. On Tuesday, they decided to speak out so others experiencing the same thing would know they weren’t alone.

The couple, who are both immigrants, said they spent nine months working at Dynamic Manufacturing in Hillside, facing constant sexual and verbal harassment from their co-workers, being touched without consent and being mocked and humiliated. Noemi said many of the comments were directed toward her sexual orientation.

When they reported the harassment to human resources, they said they were ignored and their supervisors laughed off their concerns. Fearing for their safety, they left.

On Tuesday, they joined about 30 workers outside the Illinois Department of Human Rights in the West Loop at a rally organized by Raise the Floor Alliance, a Chicago-based nonprofit and legal clinic.

Raise the Floor Alliance helped workers file five charges of sexual harassment with the Illinois Department of Human Rights on Tuesday against Dynamic Manufacturing Inc., Pivot Bio, Los Tacos & Desserts and Café L’Appetito. Three more charges are set to be filed Wednesday.

“We didn’t know our rights, we felt alone. But now we are here to let all workers know, whether you are a gay, straight, trans or cisgender, citizens or not, you have rights and you are not alone,” Noemi said in Spanish, with Maria Lafaro from Warehouse Workers for Justice translating. “Nobody can make you feel less, nobody can touch your body without your consent.”

Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times

In an emailed statement, Cafe L’Appetito said it was completely unaware of the charges.

“We are an equal opportunity employer, and we have always employed staff that are members of the LGBTQ+ community. We are in full support of the LGBTQ+ community, and we do not tolerate any type of homophobic harassment, or any type of harassment for that matter, in our workplace,” a spokesperson for the cafe wrote.

Dynamic Manufacturing Inc., Pivot Bio and Los Tacos & Desserts did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Workers and local labor organization representatives said these charges demonstrate a pattern of harassment and intimidation that is pervasive in workplaces across industries.

Between chants of “My body, our power” — and “Mi cuerpo, nuestro poder” — workers shared their experiences with workplace harassment and threats. Some also said they faced discrimination due to their identities.

Pedro, a former worker at Café L’Appetito, said his co-workers regularly made comments about his body that made him uncomfortable and homophobic jokes that went unaddressed.

“I still have trauma that’s difficult to overcome,” he said in Spanish, translated by Fredy Amador, an organizer with Chicago Workers Collaborative. “The truth is there are more people like me who are afraid to speak. I want to send a message to people who feel similarly to tell them they are not alone.”

Flor, who worked at a Pivot Bio warehouse, said she repeatedly reported the intimidation and degradation she was experiencing at work and was ignored.

She said when she finally took action, contacting Warehouse Workers for Justice and participating in a protest against the company, she was fired a week later.

“I reported that I was experiencing constant harassment by my co-worker, inappropriate conduct by my supervisor, and the company ignored me for months. The harassment degraded me as a woman and made me fear for my safety,” Flor said in Spanish, translated by Lafaro. “Pivot Bio punished me for speaking up for myself.”

Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times

Mark Birhanu, supervising attorney at Raise the Floor Alliance, said the organization has been hearing about these issues from workers for several years, and over the last year specifically has been working toward filing these charges.

He said the workers filing these charges come from a diverse range of industries, backgrounds, sexual orientations and ages.

“There’s this narrative about who gets sexually harassed and whose sexual harassment gets attention,” he said. “They wanted to show that, ‘Even though we work in low-wage work and workplaces that often aren’t highlighted on TV and highlighted in stories, and in jobs that don’t get a lot of attention, sexual harassment is happening there, and it’s pervasive, and it’s devastating.’”

Jesus and Noemi said they felt emotional, excited and empowered speaking up for their rights.

“What brought me here today is wanting to raise my voice so that people experiencing a similar situation know that they’re not alone and they can count on our help and that there’s other people that can help,” Noemi said.

Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times

Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times