Tyson to Pay $2.25M to Settle Discrimination Cases

September 20, 2011 (PLANSPONSOR.com) – The U.S Department of Labor’s (DoL) Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) announced Tyson Fresh Meats Inc. has entered into two consent decrees to settle allegations of gender discrimination.  

Tyson Fresh Meats will pay a total of $2.25 million in back wages, interest, and benefits to more than 1,650 qualified female job applicants who were rejected for employment at facilities in Joslin, Illinois; West Point, Nebraska; and Waterloo and Denison, Iowa.

During scheduled compliance reviews of the four facilities, OFCCP determined that Tyson Fresh Meats had violated Executive Order 11246, which prohibits federal contractors from discriminating on the basis of gender.

Under the terms of the decrees, the $2.25 million settlement will be divided among the rejected female job applicants. Tyson also has agreed to offer jobs to at least 220 of the affected women as positions become available in Joslin, Waterloo, and Denison. The West Point plant closed in 2006.

Finally, Tyson will undertake extensive self-monitoring and corrective measures to ensure that its employment practices fully comply with the law.

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