Xcel Energy has agreed to pay $30,000 to a technician who claimed she was passed over for a promotion in 2002 because of her gender.
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission sued Xcel in Denver’s federal court in 2004 on behalf of Xcel employee Michelle Jaramillo.
Jaramillo was a metrologist at Xcel’s Henderson facility when she applied for a senior metrologist job in 2001, the EEOC said in court filings.
Metrologists maintain instruments used for measuring electrical currents. Jaramillo had 13 years of experience in the field.
Xcel hired a man from outside the company who had no experience in metrology or the utility industry, the EEOC said.
Xcel said in court filings it did not promote Jaramillo because she was not the most qualified candidate. The company said she performed poorly in the interview and that gender was not a consideration.
“The answers she gave in response to interview questions were simplistic and demonstrated that she consistently relied upon others for advice,” Xcel said in a court filing.
The EEOC sought back pay for “discriminatory failure to promote,” as well as compensatory damages, punitive damages and injunctive relief.
Jaramillo later was promoted to senior metrologist with help from a union that represented the workers beginning in late 2002, Xcel said.
As part of a settlement reached in December but not filed with the court until Tuesday, Xcel agreed to pay $20,000 for back pay and $10,000 for compensatory damages.
Xcel also agreed to maintain a policy prohibiting discrimination and to post reminders each year on its website regarding its commitment to equal employment opportunity, the EEOC said.
Xcel did not admit to Jaramillo’s claims. Xcel spokesman Mark Stutz declined to comment on the accord, citing a confidentiality agreement with Jaramillo.
“We agreed to confidentiality, and we’re going to stick to our part of the bargain,” he said.
Minneapolis-based Xcel provides gas and electric services to business and residential customers in 12 states, including Colorado.
Staff writer Greg Griffin can be reached at 303-954-1241 or ggriffin@denverpost.com.
