POCATELLO — A local woman who was dismissed from Union Pacific Railroad last fall is suing the company in federal court in Pocatello, claiming discrimination, retaliation and breach of contract.

    She is seeking back pay, reinstatement of her position, or front pay in lieu of reinstatement, punitive damages and attorney’s fees.

    According the lawsuit filed earlier this week, Lila Peck was hired by Union Pacific in June 2011 as a brakeman in training. She was the only female member of a group of 10 people in that training class.

    In August 2011, shortly after the group had completed a conductor test, a member of the group initiated a conversation about strip clubs, which the lawsuit says is a violation of Union Pacific’s sexual harassment policy.

    Peck did not report the incident and did not participate in the conversation. An instructor, however, did hear the conversation and reported the incident, which resulted in the termination of the person who initiated the topic.

    The suit says that a few days later, a person in Union Pacific’s compliance office contacted Peck about the incident, informing her that her failure to report the violation of policy was a violation in itself and could result in her termination.

    After the offending employee’s termination, things went south for Peck, as those in the training group, the lawsuit contends, believed it was Peck who reported the offending employee to management. Although two management employees knew the truth, the suit claims they allowed Peck to be harassed and mistreated by the rest of the group, declining to set the record straight or stop what had become a hostile work environment for Peck.

    The lawsuit says that in November, Peck filed a complaint to the Union Pacific Compliance Office about the two managers and the hostile work environment she was enduring. A week later, Peck was dismissed. She was also subsequently denied benefits under a union Discipline/Income Protection Program.