The U.S. Department of Labor says it has reached an agreement with a Minneapolis-based construction services provider on allegations of sexual harassment by employees in Iowa.
The Labor Department says the conciliation agreement with Ryan Companies will have them pay $350,000 to resolve allegations employees faced sexual harassment, a hostile work environment or retaliatory actions after cooperating with federal investigators. The incidents happened while the company worked on federally funded projects including the construction of the new federal courthouse in Des Moines.
The federal compliance office determined the harassment was severe and pervasive, and officials with Ryan Companies knew of and, in some instances, participated in the harassment. The federal compliance office is seeking employees in Des Moines who may be due payment or job placement as a result of Ryan’s actions. They are asked to contact the office.