On October 10, 2017, the U.S. Office of Federal Contractor Compliance Programs (“OFCCP”) filed its first Complaint against a federal contractor since President Trump took office. The Complaint alleges that contractor Advance 2000 Inc. (the “Contractor”) violated a June 2015 conciliation agreement with OFCCP by failing to submit required progress
conciliation
OFCCP Announced a Series of Consent Decrees Impacting Contractors Prior to the Government Shutdown
Medtronic, Inc. and Medtronic Interventional Vascular, Inc.
A Department of Labor Administrative Law Judge (“ALJ”) approved a consent decree on September 16, 2013 between the Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (“OFCCP”) and Medtronic, Inc. (“Medtronic”) to settle claims of national origin discrimination in pay.
Energy Company Settles OFCCP Racial Bias Allegations
On September 27, 2013, Baltimore Gas & Electric Company (“BGE”) announced that it entered into a conciliation agreement with the Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (“OFCCP”) to settle claims of racial bias in its hiring practices. OFCCP did not announce the settlement prior to suspending operations…
Health Insurer Settles OFCCP Retaliation Allegations for $372,000
A health insurance provider in Massachusetts has agreed to pay $372,739 to resolve an Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) investigation into claims of discrimination and retaliation. The insurer denies the allegations, stating that insufficient recordkeeping is to blame.
Goodwill Industries and OFCCP Settle Reverse Sex Discrimination Findings
The Department of Labor announced that Goodwill Industries, best known for their donation centers and retail stores, has agreed to settle allegations of systemic discrimination stemming from Goodwill’s selection practices. OFCCP found that Goodwill of Southern California’s hiring practices favored female applicants for entry-level positions as attendants at local donation…
Research Confirms OFCCP Compensation Settlements and Conciliations on the Rise
Research published by the Center for Corporate Equality (CCE), a Washington, D.C. research organization, reveals that the number of OFCCP audits resulting in a conciliation agreement has risen sharply under the Obama administration.
CCE compiled information from the Labor Department’s enforcement database as well as documents obtained through Freedom of Information. Their research revealed that, during the Bush administration, only approximately 8 percent of all OFCCP audits ended in a conciliation agreement. By contrast, the average during the Obama administration so far is close to 21 percent. Findings of discrimination overall did not increase significantly during this period. Between 2004 and 2008, the second term of Bush’s administration, 1.58 percent of all compliance evaluations resulted in a finding of discrimination, compared to 2.27 percent under the Obama administration so far—a rise of just 0.7 percent.