Even though it say it didn’t do it, Cargill Meat Solutions has agreed to pay $2.2 million to settle a hiring discrimination case with the U.S. Department of Labor.
The case was filed in 2011 by the DOL’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs. The suit charged Cargill with engaging in discriminatory hiring practices involving nearly 3,000 job applicants at meat production facilities in Colorado, Arkansas and Illinois. Cargill, according to the government, rejected workers based on race, sex and national origin.
Cargill Meat Solutions, a unit of Minneapolis-based Cargill Inc., said it agreed to the settlement to avoid the cost of a protracted legal defense against the claims. It called the federal allegations “unfounded and with merit.”
“The decision to settle was not taken lightly, because we work hard every day to ensure compliance with all hiring laws, and we have an unwavering commitment to diversity and equal employment opportunity,” said Cargill Senior Vice President Bill Buckner.
“The plants involved in the bundled settlement include Fort Morgan, Colo. (beef); Springdale, Ark. (turkey); and Beardstown, Ill. (pork). They have diverse employee populations, representing dozens of nationalities. It’s a fact we take great pride in, especially because these communities are thriving with economic prosperity that results from the diverse Cargill employee population.”
The DOL said it had a solid case and that the settlement ensured justice for those who had been wronged.
“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.”
Complete your profile to continue reading and get FREE access to BenefitsPRO, part of your ALM digital membership.
Your access to unlimited BenefitsPRO content isn’t changing.
Once you are an ALM digital member, you’ll receive:
- Breaking benefits news and analysis, on-site and via our newsletters and custom alerts
- Educational webcasts, white papers, and ebooks from industry thought leaders
- Critical converage of the property casualty insurance and financial advisory markets on our other ALM sites, PropertyCasualty360 and ThinkAdvisor
Already have an account? Sign In Now
© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
Dan Cook
Dan Cook is a journalist and communications consultant based in Portland, OR. During his journalism career he has been a reporter and editor for a variety of media companies, including American Lawyer Media, BusinessWeek, Newhouse Newspapers, Knight-Ridder, Time Inc., and Reuters. He specializes in health care and insurance related coverage for BenefitsPRO.
