Recently, New York Attorney General Letitia James announced a landmark $1.5 million sexual harassment settlement with Trade Off, my former employer.
In the real-estate industry, Trade Off is known as a body shop – a provider of cheap, nonunion Black and Brown construction laborers to big developers like the Related Companies.
I was one of the 18 primarily Black women survivors of sexual abuse or assault at Trade Off job sites who were involved in the Attorney General James’ settlement.
While working at Hudson Yards, a Related project, I was subjected to constant harassment from Trade Off foremen. I was regularly bombarded with sexual solicitations and profanities. But other Black women I worked with went through even more horrific experiences. They were told to perform sex acts for pay and overtime compensation, and assaulted by male co-workers.