U.S. Department of Labor issued the following announcement on Oct. 31.
After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP), Sysco Corp. has entered into conciliation agreements with the Department of Labor to resolve alleged gender discrimination at its Sysco Baltimore LLC, Sysco Eastern Maryland LLC, Sysco Central Pennsylvania LLC and Sysco Virginia LLC locations.
OFCCP investigators found that – from November 1, 2013, through December 31, 2014 – four Sysco facilities discriminated against 238 female applicants for outbound selector positions in Jessup and Pocomoke City, Maryland; Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; and Harrisonburg, Virginia. By doing so, the employer failed to comply with Executive Order 11246, which prohibits gender discrimination by federal contractors.
While not admitting liability, Sysco Corp. will pay a settlement total of $182,354.26 in back wages, interest and benefits to the affected females applicants at the four locations. The company will also make 60 job offers to original applicants as positions become available at these locations. Sysco Corp. will also review and revise their selection procedures, and train company personnel who recruit, select, and track applicants for outbound selector positions to eliminate practices that resulted in these violations.
"The U.S. Department of Labor takes very seriously the contractual obligation that federal contractors make to provide equal employment opportunities for all qualified job applicants, regardless of their sex," said Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs Mid-Atlantic Regional Director Michele Hodge, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Based in Houston, Texas, Sysco Corp. is a multinational marketer and distributor of food products to restaurants, healthcare and educational facilities, and the hospitality industry. During the review period, Sysco Corp. provided products under federal contract to federal agencies, including the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Defense Logistics Agency, the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of the Army.
Original source can be found here.