The US Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) announced that Tyson Fresh Meats has agreed to pay $2.25 million, in a sex discrimination settlement, to approximately 1,650 qualified women applicants who were denied employment. OFCCP found that Tyson Fresh Meats violated Executive Order 11246 “by failing to meet its obligations as a federal contractor to ensure that qualified job applicants receive equal consideration for employment without regard to their sex, race, color, religion, or national origin.”
The applicants who were denied jobs at the company’s Midwestern facilities in Illinois, Nebraska, and Iowa will receive settlement money to cover back wages, interest, and benefits. The company will also offer positions to at least 220 of the women who were previously discriminated against in the hiring process. Tyson Fresh Meats is the largest processor of pork and beef in the world.
Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis stated, “Companies that profit from federal contracts must not discriminate in employment decisions. Today’s settlement, one of the largest in OFCCP’s history, means that women who were unfairly denied job opportunities will be compensated.”
Department of Labor Statement 9/20/11; Feminist Daily Newswire 8/9/11