A Colorado moving and storage company has agreed to pay $450,000 to settle charges by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission that it subjected Hispanic workers to a hostile work environment in Utah.

Grand Junction, Colo.-based Mesa Systems Inc. has denied the charges.

The EEOC said Monday that immigrant Hispanic workers at Mesa’s Salt Lake City facility were subjected to discrimination based on national origin, including racist name-calling and slurs.

The agency charged also that employees of various national origins were subjected to a restrictive language policy that put overly broad constraints on their speaking non-English languages, which was neither job-related nor consistent with business necessity.

In addition, the EEOC said several employees suffered retaliation, including terminations and hour reductions, after two employee petitions and other complaints were submitted to management about the alleged national origin discrimination. The company was charged with violating Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Under the settlement agreement, in addition to paying the $450,000 settlement, Mesa Systems agreed to extensive injunctive relief, including training, policy revisions and the rescission of the restrictive language policy, among other provisions.

EEOC Chair Jaqueline Berrien said in a statement, “In its strategic enforcement plan, the EEOC made it a priority to protect workers who are the most vulnerable. This settlement is an important demonstration of this renewed commitment.”

Mesa Systems said in a statement: “Regarding the EEOC’s lawsuit against Mesa Systems, Mesa denies the unproven allegations and reaffirms its commitment to compliance with all employment laws.

“Although Mesa looked forward to defending itself in court, the costs to do so would have been devastating to our employees and our business. We therefore made the decision to settle and move forward, and remain committed to our core values of pride, respect, and trust in all interactions with our employees, customers and the public.”