A Delta flight attendant has sued JetBlue and Delta Airlines for harassment, alleging that a JetBlue worker refused to let her board a work-related flight because she wasn’t dressed proactively enough. He had allowed other flight attendants on board. Delta has an agreement with JetBlue to fly Delta flight attendants to job locations. Besides being a gossipy type case, is there a lesson here? Well, you knew there would be or I wouldn’t have asked.
Note that the flight attendant is not employed by JetBlue and that Delta doesn’t employ the alleged harasser, yet they are both part of the lawsuit.
The lesson: beware of 3rd or outside parties. Harassment cases don’t always involve the traditional boss and subordinate or coworkers pattern. Employers’ obligations extend beyond those typical scenarios.
