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.

CARGILL SETTLES FEDERAL CONTRACT COMPLIANCE PROGRAM DISCRIMINATION CLAIMS

FROM:  LABOR DEPARTMENT
Cargill agrees to pay more than $2.2M to settle charges of 
hiring discrimination brought by US Labor Department
Company will pay back wages and interest to nearly 3,000 applicants rejected for jobs

WASHINGTON — Cargill Meat Solutions, headquartered in Wichita, Kan., has agreed to settle charges of hiring discrimination based on race and sex with the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs. Under the agreement, Cargill will pay $2,236,218 in back wages and interest to 2,959 applicants who were rejected for production jobs at facilities in Springdale, Ark.; Fort Morgan, Colo.; and Beardstown, Ill., between 2005 and 2009. The affected workers include: female applicants at Springdale and Fort Morgan, Caucasian and Hispanic applicants at Fort Morgan, and African American and Caucasian applicants at Beardstown.

"This settlement will benefit thousands of workers who were subjected to unfair discrimination," said U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez. "And it demonstrates the Department of Labor's commitment to ensuring that everybody has a fair and equal shot at competing for good jobs."

During a series of scheduled reviews, OFCCP compliance officers found evidence that Cargill's hiring processes and selection procedures at facilities in Arkansas, Colorado and Illinois violated Executive Order 11246 by discriminating on the bases of sex, race and/or ethnicity. The reviews also uncovered violations of the Executive Order's record-keeping requirements. The Department of Labor filed a lawsuit regarding violations at the Springdale facility in November 2011 and this settlement resolves the issues in that complaint as well as the two other reviews.
"Discrimination should never be used to justify favoring one group of workers over others," said OFCCP Director Patricia A. Shiu. "I am pleased that Cargill has agreed to put a proactive strategy in place to address this issue through new hiring procedures and in-depth training on combating stereotypes."

In addition to paying more than $2.2 million in back wages and interest to the affected applicants, Cargill has agreed to extend 354 job offers to the affected workers as positions become available. Additionally, the company has agreed to undertake extensive self-monitoring measures to ensure that all hiring practices fully comply with the law, including record-keeping requirements.

Cargill Meat Solutions, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Minneapolis-based Cargill Inc., distributes beef, pork and turkey products. Since 2005, Cargill has held federal contracts worth more than $1.4 billion.