(1) Employer’s management shall not permit protected category harassment to continue to occur in the workplace once it has actual notice of such harassment. “Management” is defined as a manager who has the authority to alter the terms and conditions of employment such as hiring, firing, and/or disciplining employees. “Protected category harassment” means harassment that affects the terms and conditions of an Employee’s employment and which is directed towards an Employee because of their gender, race, color, national origin, sexual orientation, religion, age, genetic information, Indian tribe membership, political ideology or affiliations, veteran or marital status, the presence of any sensory, mental or physical disability, membership in a particular Cowlitz family or Cowlitz lineage.

(2) Severe and pervasive protected category harassment constitutes a hostile work environment. Once it has notice of the foregoing, Employer shall take reasonable steps to stop and prevent a hostile work environment.

(3) Employer satisfies its obligations under this ordinance when management takes reasonable steps aimed at remedying the discrimination and/or harassment and preventing its continued occurrence after the discrimination or harassment is known.

(4) Nothing in this Code is intended to prevent the Employer from exercising its right to have Indian preference policies and procedures. It is not a violation of this Code for the Employer to give preferential treatment to Cowlitz tribal members and members of other federally recognized Indian tribes. [Res. 22-120, 2022.]