AG James announced a settlement with Consolidated Edison, Inc. (Con Ed), a private utility company providing service in New York City and Westchester, for enabling a pervasive pattern of workplace discrimination and harassment against women employees and employees of color. An Office of the Attorney General (OAG) investigation found that Con Ed failed to address race- and sex-based harassment, maintained a hostile work environment for women, and unfairly disciplined women at higher rates than men, limiting their opportunities for career advancement. As a result of OAG’s investigation, Con Ed must enact sweeping reforms and establish a comprehensive new training curriculum for harassment investigators, create new avenues for employees to propose workplace improvements for women working in field positions, and hire an independent consultant who will oversee settlement implementation and report back to OAG. In addition to the comprehensive programmatic relief, Attorney General James has secured $750,000 in restitution for 17 impacted employees.

“When New Yorkers go to work, they deserve to trust that they will not encounter discrimination, harassment, or hostility. Con Ed failed to protect its workers, allowing toxic, dangerous, and unlawful behavior to persist for years. The company’s inaction is unacceptable, and today we are ensuring this illegal and discriminatory behavior is never tolerated again. My office will always stand up for workers and hold big companies accountable for failing to protect their employees.” – AG James