N.Y. construction firm to pay $1.5 million to settle sexual harassment claim

New York State’s attorney general announced a $1.5 million sexual harassment settlement with Long Island construction firm.

The deal resulted from a complaint by 18 former employees of sexual harassment and workplace retaliation. The workers, most of whom were women of color, were employed by Trade Off, a company that provides non-union general labor at major construction sites in New York City.

According to a report in the New York Post, Trade Off is a “body shop,” providing predominantly black and Latino construction laborers to large firms. Many of its employees are formerly incarcerated New Yorkers who must remain employed as a condition of their parole.

Workers at such companies may be particularly vulnerable to abuse and harassment, a Post source said. Body shop construction laborers typically earn a fraction of what unionized laborers do, union officials say, and may lack in benefits and training.