EEOC in the US: Cisco may have allowed a hostile environment for pro-Palestinian employees
The US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) concluded that Cisco Systems may have violated the civil rights of Palestinian, Arab and Muslim employees by allowing a hostile work environment based on their national origin, religion or association. This was reported by The Jerusalem Post.
In June, the EEOC said there was “reasonable cause to believe” that Cisco had violated Title VII of the US Civil Rights Act of 1964. The review concerned the situation at the company after Hamas’s attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023.
Complaints over forum posts
The employee group Bridge to Humanity, consisting primarily of Palestinians, Arabs and Muslims, circulated an open letter calling on Cisco to end its business ties with the Israeli military. More than 1,700 employees signed the letter. Afterward, employees reported racist and Islamophobic harassment.
The EEOC case was considered in part on the basis of posts in the internal Connected Jewish Network forum. Legal Aid at Work, which represented Muslim and pro-Palestinian employees, stated in its complaint that employees in the forum repeatedly glorified violence, joked about sending people to their deaths, and called Palestinians, Arabs and Muslims killers, prone to violence or terrorists.
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In August 2024, employees, including some Jewish staff members, filed a 76-page ethics complaint. They accused more than a dozen colleagues of creating a hostile environment through posts in the forum, which, according to The Guardian, was accessible to all company employees.
Cisco’s position and possible lawsuits
The EEOC’s finding is not a binding court ruling. Both sides said the commission had stated that it did not intend to file a lawsuit against Cisco. At the same time, the finding may strengthen the position of employees who, according to media reports, are considering class-action and individual lawsuits.
Cisco disagreed with the EEOC’s determination and said it had thoroughly investigated all complaints and taken appropriate measures. The company previously said it had removed some comments, issued disciplinary warnings and held consultations with several employees. Wired also reported in 2024 that some Jewish Cisco employees believed the company had not sufficiently protected them from harassment by pro-Palestinian employees.
