A mechanic at a Washington state factory where Maria del Carmen Ruelas worked often blocked her path, claimed he planned to have sex with her and warned her not to tell anyone.
And no one would believe her if she did report him, he told her.
“Sexual harassment is so common where I work that the supervisor will tell the new workers, the younger workers, if they want to have better positions, bigger positions [at the company], they need to have sexual relations with them,” said Ruelas. She spoke on behalf of Justice for Migrant Women advocates during a press conference announcing Senate and House bills that would give workers more rights when bringing workplace-harassment suits and prohibit employers from telling them they can’t speak publicly about it.
