An investigation into allegations of sexual harassment of a Tucson Water crew led to the firing of one employee and three supervisors receiving a day of training.
Juan Durazo, lead mechanic of a Tucson Water well maintenance crew, was fired in June for sexual harassment after a co-worker said he suffered repeated harassment.
The co-worker, whose name was redacted from city records, alleged the sexual harassment after he and Durazo got in a verbal altercation on a job site last April.
Other employees corroborated the complaint, the investigation found.
The co-workers told investigators Durazo frequently asked them for anal sex, inquired if they had performed oral sex on men, grabbed their nipples and poked wrenches and other tools into their buttocks when they bent over on job sites.
Although they said Durazo, an eight-year veteran with the city, had a history of lewd behavior, the co-workers said they were reluctant to report it over fear they would lose their jobs in retaliation.
Durazo denied the allegations, saying jealous colleagues set him up because they resented him over his promotion to lead well mechanic in 2013.
“I adamantly deny having perpetrated the most serious allegations that have been leveled against me by individuals who, because of my rapid promotion, out-of-class supervisor assignment, and recent opportunity to participate in a cross-training assignment, had motivation to lie during the investigation,” Durazo wrote in his response to the city.
He said employees might have disliked him because he would report safety violations.
“When I reported it they considered me a tattle-tale and a snitch,” Durazo said. “That’s when everybody started turning on me,” he said, suggesting that portraying him as a “sexual deviant” was their way of getting back at him.
He admitted he sometimes engaged in off-color humor, but said prurient behavior is prevalent throughout the Tucson Water division.
“The atmosphere in the division has been one of pervasive sexual bantering for the entire time I have been working in the field,” Durazo wrote.
He pointed to a crude drawing one employee scratched into a Tucson Water pipe depicting two Tucson Water employees engaged in anal sex.
Durazo said the alleged victim also partook in sophomoric hijinks, such as lowering his pants and running around the job site with them around his ankles.
The crude drawing and the pants-dropping incident were confirmed by the investigation.
“Your inappropriate conduct compromised and put at risk many of our employees’ safety and emotional well-being by repeatedly subjecting them to your sexual harassment, your sexual innuendos and your unwanted and unsolicited physical contact,” the city’s termination report said.
Tucson Water Director Allan Forrest wrote in a memo that he decided to fire Durazo because other employees confirmed the victim’s story.
Forrest determined one supervisor, Marlin Price, failed to report and act on the sexual harassment occurring under his watch. But Forrest said Tucson Water may not have properly trained Price on sexual harassment.
Price was issued a letter of counseling and had to attend a one-day sexual-harassment training.
Two other supervisors, whom Forrest determined likely didn’t know about the harassment, were also ordered to attend the one-day training so they could have a “clear understanding of zero tolerance on sexual harassment,” Forrest wrote.
Forrest also ordered further sexual-harassment training for all water employees.
Tucson Water officials were not available for interviews, but deputy water director Sandy Elder said in an emailed response, “Tucson Water recognizes it is responsible for having a safe and secure workplace for all employees.
“Tucson Water administrators took action once this issue was brought to our attention. An investigation was conducted by an external party and appropriate action was taken.”
Durazo said he didn’t appeal Forrest’s decision because he had lost faith in the city.
