Sexual Harassment Policy

Sexual Harassment Policy of the Educational Training Trust Fund of Plumbers Local 8 and the Plumbers Training Center

It is illegal and against the policy of The Educational Trust Fund of Plumbers Local 8 and the Joint Apprenticeship Committee for any Trustee, employee, agent, or apprentice, male or female, to sexually harass another Trustee, employee, agent or apprentices by;

Making unwelcome sexual advances or requests for sexual favors or other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature when submission to such conduct is made, explicitly or implied as a condition or term of an employee's continued employment, or an apprentice's continued education and training or an agent's or Trustee's continued tenure;
Making such submission to or refection of such conduct a basis for employment, educational or training decisions affecting the Trustee, employee, agent, or apprentice; or
Unreasonable interference with a Trustee's, employee's, agent's, or apprentices work or educational performance or creating an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment as a direct result of such conduct.

The purpose of this policy is to protect the Trustees, employees, agents, and apprentices of the Trust Fund from unwelcome and unwanted sexual conduct regardless of the source. Not only does this policy comply with law, but also from a business and academic standpoint, sexual harassment creates a harmful work and school environment.

In the event a Trustee, employee, or agent of the Trust Fund or any apprentice has complaint concerning sexual harassment, or if the Trustee, employee, agent or apprentice learns that conduct prohibited by this policy is occurring, immediate action must be taken to report a complaint or incident. All employees, agents or apprentices must report the complaint or incident in writing to the Training Coordinator, or to any trustee. All Trustees must report the complaint or incident in writing to the Chairman or Co-Chairman of the Trust Fund or to the Trust fund's legal counsel.

Upon receipt of the complaint immediate and appropriate steps shall be taken to investigate the complaint. Following the investigation of the complaint, the Trustee will weigh the facts and decide on the validity of the complaint. If the complaint is determined to be valid, the offender will face immediate and appropriate disciplinary action based on the severity of the incident. Disciplinary action for any offense, including the first offense, may include a warning, suspension, or discharge.

To the extent possible all investigations of sexual harassment shall be conducted in a confidential manner. However, the requirements of the investigation of any charge may necessitate that the individual charged, that complaining individual and any witnesses be interviewed by or on behalf of the Trustees. Any person who acts or fails to act in a manner which prevents such confidential investigation will be subject disciplinary action.

The implementation of this policy and initial responsibility for making this policy known to employees, agents, and apprentices should be discussed with all employees, agents and apprentices upon its adoption and at regular intervals thereafter. When necessary to give full effect to this policy, suppliers or visitors to the offices or Training Center should also be informed of this policy.

The training Coordinators of this policy shall inform contractors who employ apprentices. Contractors shall be informed, when necessary to give full effect to this policy, that sexual harassment during an apprentice's on the job training may result in the removal of the apprentice from the contractor's employ and refusal of the JAC to provide apprentice to the contractor in the future.

When investigating a complaint of sexual harassment the standard for judging the complaint shall be that of a reasonable individual similarly situated to the complaining individual.

The initiation of a complaint of sexual harassment will not cause any reflection of the complaining individual, nor will it affect the individual's status, benefits or conditions of apprenticeship or employment as the case may be. However because of the serious nature of such claims any individual who knowingly files a false claim of sexual harassment will be subject to disciplinary action, including a warning, suspension, demotion, discharge, or removal from the apprenticeship program for any offense, including the first offense.