EEOC settles case involving Pakistani worker at LV site

Alana Roberts

Wednesday, June 1, 2005 | 11:20 a.m.

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has reached a $200,000 settlement in a federal lawsuit it filed against K.C. Asphalt for not preventing the harassment of a Pakistani employee at its Las Vegas facility.

The EEOC reached a settlement on behalf of Akrom Ghafoor, a former employee, an EEOC press release, said. EEOC officials allege Ghafoor was harassed by co-workers and supervisors and was harassed in the presence of supervisors on the basis of his race and national origin.

K.C. Asphalt is a subsidiary of Wichita, Kan.- based Koch Industries and it is also known as Koch Performance Asphalt Company. An lawyer for the company declined to comment on the settlement, and a spokeswoman could not be reached for comment.

In the settlement the company denied any wrongdoing, but agreed to: refrain from discriminating against employees on the basis of their national origin and race; provide training to managers to ensure they recognize and can respond to complaints of harassment and to ensure managers are held accountable for their failure to respond to harassment complaints.

According to the EEOC's press release the company believe itss employment policies already reflect the injunctive relief provisions.

Anna Park, an EEOC attorney, said the agency believes Ghafoor was terminated as a result of his complaining about the incidents. However, that allegation wasn't a part of the lawsuit, she said. She also said the company did work to correct its actions but those actions took place "several" years after the incidents against Ghafoor.

Park said the agency is working to make employers aware of the impact that negative comments and actions against employees that are Muslim, or are of Middle Eastern or South Asian descent has in the workplace. She said such actions often are a result of negative sentiment created toward those groups following the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

"Our message is that employers take action even if they don't get a complaint," Park said.