Committee on Workforce Development and Audit RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, women across the nation have united through a social media campaign sharing their stories of sexual harassment and assault by using the hashtag #MeToo; and
WHEREAS, in the wake of the #MeToo cultural movement, powerful men are not the only perpetrators of sexual misconduct, and in fact, women have started the #WhatAboutUs hashtag to demonstrate that sexual harassment is rampant among blue-collar employment as well; and
WHEREAS, the #MeToo and #WhatAboutUs movements have spread into courts, workplaces, legislative bodies, universities, and factories bringing the topic and its severity to the forefront of American conversations; and
WHEREAS, one of the mechanisms perpetrators of sexual assault and sexual harassment utilize to silence their victims is nondisclosure or nondisparagement agreements ("NDAs"); and
WHEREAS, NDAs prevent the disclosure of facts that help establish a cause of action for civil damages for sexual offenses such as sexual assault, sexual harassment, or harassment or discrimination based on sex; and
WHEREAS, Zelda Perkins, who worked as Harvey Weinstein's assistant in Miramax's London office in the late 1990s, came forward in October of 2017 as a victim of sexual harassment and casted light on how egregious NDAs can be in silencing and shaming victims; and
WHEREAS, the agreement Ms. Perkins signed in 1998 along with a colleague called for a 250,000 pounds ($400,000 at the time) payout, therapy for Mr. Weinstein "for as long as his therapist deems necessary," as well as other measures aimed at protecting others from his behavior such as: (1) within six months of the agreement with Ms. Perkins, Miramax would appoint three "complaint handlers" who would investigate future harassment allegations; (2) provide proof that the staff were informed about the new procedures; and (3) if a complaint against Mr. Weinstein occurred within two years of the agreement and resulted in a settlement of either 35,000 pounds or six months' salary, Miramax agreed to report the matter to Disney; and
WHEREAS, since the agreement Ms. Perkins signed included a NDA, she had no way of knowing whether Miramax fully complied with it and recently said, "I want to call into question the legitimacy of agreements where the inequality of power is so stark and relies on money rather than morality;" and
WHEREAS, Bill O'Reilly, a former FOX News conservative political commentator, was another celebrity that utilized NDAs to silence women that accused him of sexual harassment in the workplace; and
WHEREAS, all six NDAs against Mr. O'Reilly due to sexual harassment have totaled about $45 million, including one for $32 million; and
WHEREAS, employment lawyers have said that these NDAs involving harassment allegations often contain strict confidentiality and nondisparagement clauses that have created a culture of silence and allowed this type of misconduct to continue; and
WHEREAS, NDAs are not limited to legal settlements, and in fact, they are increasingly found in standard employment contracts in many industries, including technology employment contracts, venture investment firms, and start-ups including some ofthe biggest companies in Silicon Valley such as Google; and
WHEREAS, for example, the technology start-up world has been roiled by accounts of workplace sexual harassment, and NDAs have played a significant role in keeping those accusations secret allowing harassers to move to another firm and harass again keeping women, future employers, and business partners in the dark about the harassers' history; and
WHEREAS, according to Orly Lobel, a law professor at the University of San Diego, NDAs have become so common that the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission which enforces federal discrimination laws, and the National Labor Relations Board, a federal agency that protects workers' rights, have been evaluating whether they discourage workers from speaking up about wrongdoing or filing lawsuits; and
WHEREAS, according to Nancy E. Smith, a partner at the law firm Smith Mullin specializing in employment law, "employees increasingly have to give up their constitutional right to speak freely about their experiences if they want to be part of the work force;" and
WHEREAS, on December 4, 2017, State Senator Loretta Weinberg of New Jersey introduced SB 3581 that would bar provisions in employment contracts that waive certain rights or remedies to a claim of discrimination, retaliation, or harassment; and
WHEREAS, on December 7, 2017, a group of State Senators in Pennsylvania introduced SB 999 that would ban any contracts or agreements for nondisclosure of sexual misconduct; and
WHEREAS, on January 3, 2018, State Senator Connie M. Leyva of California introduced SB 820 banning NDAs involving sexual assault, sexual harassment, and sexual discrimination cases and said, "[s]ecret settlements in sexual assault and related cases can jeopardize the public -including other potential victims - and allow perpetrators to escape justice just because they have the money to pay the cost of the settlements;" and
WHEREAS, on February 1, 2018, a group of State Senators in Washington introduced SB 5996-S that prohibits an employer from requiring an employee, as a condition of employment, to sign a NDA or other document that prevents the employee from disclosing sexual harassment or sexual assault occurring in the workplace, at work-related events, and off the employment premises; and
WHEREAS, NDAs continue to silence victims of sexual assault and sexual harassment by keeping the issue out of public and law enforcement scrutiny; and
WHEREAS, the work to combat sexual assault and sexual harassment is far from done; now, therefore
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CHICAGO:
That the City Council encourages the Illinois General Assembly to introduce and pass a bill to ban provisions in employment contracts that waive certain rights or remedies to a claim of discrimination, retaliation, or harassment; and ban NDAs involving sexual assault, sexual harassment, and sexual discrimination cases; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Governor Bruce Rauner, Senate President John J. Cullerton and House Speaker Michael Madigan.
Margaret Laurino Alderman, 39th Ward
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