COMCAST TO PAY ALMOST $190 MILLION TO RESOLVE RACE AND SEX DISCRIMINATION CASE

FROM:  U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT

Comcast Corporation settles charges of sex and race discrimination
Company will pay nearly $190K in back wages and interest to 96 former and current female employees and 100 minority job applicants; reform hiring practices

SEATTLE — Comcast Corporation has entered into a conciliation agreement with the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs to resolve allegations of sex and race discrimination.

OFCCP investigators determined that between March 2006 and September 2007 in Everett, Washington, Comcast violated Executive Order 11246 by steering 96 women into lower-paying positions that assisted customers with cable services rather than higher-paid positions providing customer assistance for Internet services because these positions were considered "technical."

Investigators also established that Comcast disproportionately rejected 100 African American, Asian, and Hispanic applicants for call center jobs because its hiring tests were neither uniformly applied nor validated as related to the job. This resulted in systemic hiring discrimination on the basis of race. Comcast Corporation is a federal contractor.

"Sex-based compensation discrimination and race-based hiring discrimination are not only illegal, they also hurt our economy," said OFCCP Director Patricia A. Shiu. "We cannot build an economy that works for everyone by depriving women and minorities of opportunities to get ahead."

The notices of violation were issued March 22, 2011. After a lengthy conciliation process, an agreement was reached on April 30, 2015. The agreement requires Comcast to:

Pay a total of $53,633.48 in back pay and interest to 96 current and former female employees;

Pay $133,366.52 in back pay and interest to 100 African-American, Asian and Hispanic applicants; and Hire up to 31 members of the affected class as call center positions become available, to immediately correct any discriminatory practices, and to undertake self-monitoring measures to ensure that all compensation practices fully comply with the law.

The Comcast Corporation is a global media and technology company. It is also the largest provider of video, high-speed Internet, and phone services to residential customers in the United States. The company also provides these services to business customers and in federal facilities and installations.

In addition to Executive Order 11246, OFCCP enforces Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Vietnam Era Veterans' Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974. These three laws require those that do business with the federal government, both contractors and subcontractors, to follow the fair and reasonable standard that they not discriminate in employment on the basis of sex, race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability or status as a protected veteran.