NEW BEDFORD — Atlantic Capes Fisheries of Fall River and BJ’s Services Co. of New Bedford have been included in a national list highlighting 12 companies that put workers at risk due to unsafe practices.
The “Dirty Dozen” list is put out every year by the National Council for Occupational Health and Safety — a federation of “COSH” groups that are private, nonprofit coalitions of labor unions, health and technical professionals — in observance of Workers’ Memorial Week.
The companies were included, according to COSH, because of sexual harassment claims from workers who were provided to Atlantic Capes through the staffing firm.
More than five years ago, four female workers filed a harassment complaint with the U.S. Equal Opportunity Employment Commission that resulted in a lawsuit against the companies.
According to the suit, after initial complaints were made to the companies, no actions were taken and two of the four women were fired. In January, the companies reached a $675,000 settlement with the women.
Atlantic Capes said they were included in COSH’s list “based upon false information” and the two women were laid off for operational reasons, not fired, and that three of the four women work for the company with one having left voluntarily.
The company also said the allegations of sexual harassment happened before they acquired the business in Fall River and that they acted as soon as they found out and no longer employ the workers alleged to have behaved inappropriately.
Adrian Venturo, executive director of the Centro Comunitario de Trabajadores in New Bedford, worked with the women to file their claims and made COSH aware of them.
Ventura said through a translator that the environment for workers at Atlantic Capes Fisheries has improved since the settlement and workers are getting more vacation days and breaks.
“Now, we’re going to make sure the employer follows the rules to keep workers safe — and work to make sure all companies provide a safe work environment, free from harassment,” said Ventura.
Mirna Pacajá, one of the women in the suit, said through a translator that she understands why Atlantic Fisheries was included on the list because it was a “dirty business” before, but that she hasn’t experienced sexual harassment since the settlement. One of the reasons things have changed for the better, she said, is because “now, we the workers know our rights.”
For Ventura, though the environment has changed at Atlantic Capes, the work is not done.
“At this company, the situation is much better,” said Ventura, “but this is the tip of the iceberg because we are now receiving complaints at other organizations.”
COSH chose to include the SouthCoast companies after the settlement because, according to Co-Executive Director Marcy Goldstein-Gelb, “this is an important example in which some of the most vulnerable workers took action and experienced a victory, empowering them to send a strong message to countless other companies nationwide that workers must be treated with dignity and respect.”
BJ’s Services Co. could not be reached for comment.
Other companies in COSH’s “Dirty Dozen” were McDonald’s USA, for their failure to address sexual harassment on the job, and Amazon, because six workers have died at U.S. Amazon facilities or operations since November 2018. The others were Bedrock Detroit, Beiza Brothers Harvesting, Facebook, Genan, Integra Health Management, John Hopkins Hospital, Perdue Pharma, Tooma Enterprises and XPO.
