It is the policy of the Mayor and Board of Trustees of the Village
of Bath to maintain a work environment free of unlawful discrimination
for all employees. "Discrimination" is defined as unequal treatment
because of race, color, sex, religion, age, marital status, Vietnam
Era status or sexual orientation. The Mayor and Board of Trustees
of the Village of Bath recognize that harassment based on the above
is, among other things, disruptive to good business practice in that
it distracts from the Village's goal of providing the best possible
service to the residents and visitors of our community at the lowest
possible cost. Therefore, the Village Board's policy is that
sexual harassment of its employees is prohibited. This policy not
only applies to internal interactions between employees, but to employees'
action toward and treatment to external contacts, such as the public.
Sexual harassment is a violation of Section 703 (Part 1604) of Title
VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 on the basis of gender. It is
also a violation of § 296 of the New York Executive Law
(Human Rights Law) on the basis of sex/gender.
The Village of Bath is also cognizant of its exposure to legal
liability for quid pro quo and hostile environment sexual harassment
and seeks to protect/limit such exposure to liability by using preventive
measures such as, but not limited to:
A. Expressing strong disapproval of inappropriate conduct which may
be construed as sexual harassment.
B. Establishing a Board policy prohibiting sexual harassment that is
posted and well publicized.
C. Showing employees how to file complaints with assurances of confidentiality,
impartiality and quick/thorough resolution.
D. Making counseling available for both the alleged harasser and the
victim.
Village of Bath department heads, managers, supervisors, and
employees must refrain from such conduct or behavior. Allegations
of sexual harassment will be investigated immediately and thoroughly.
The facts, when compared to the legal standard for evaluating sexual
harassment claims, will determine the response to each allegation.
Substantiated claims of sexual harassment will be met with appropriate
corrective/disciplinary action, up to and including discharge. All
information gathered in the deposition of each allegation will be
handled in a confidential manner.
Sexual harassment is a form of unlawful sex discrimination and
will not be tolerated in any Village department any more than harassment
based upon gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, race, color, national
origin, religion, disability, and other EEOC protected categories.