Assembly Approves Harassment Measure
The state Assembly approved a bill that would hold employers liable if they didn’t do anything to protect workers who were sexually harassed by customers.
The bill was sent to Gov. Gray Davis on a 51-26 vote.
Opponents said the bill would kill jobs because it would expand the circumstances under which businesses could be sued for sexual harassment.
“Requiring an employer to be liable for someone else’s vulgar activity is going over the line,” Assemblyman Ray Haynes (R-Murrieta) said.
Supporters said the bill would hold employers accountable only if they knew of the harassment and did nothing to protect the employee. That’s the same standard in federal law, said the bill’s author, Assemblywoman Ellen Corbett (D-San Leandro).
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