HP settles hiring discrimination case, will pay $750,000
Staff Writer |
Landing a job that pays an average of $50,000 a year with a household name in the information technology industry is something to make any worker proud.
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It was an opportunity denied allegedly to more than 500 job applicants at the Hewlett-Packard Co. in Conway, as the company failed to provide equal opportunity for workers of all races and ethnicities to compete for well-paid professional positions.
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs announced today that HP has agreed to pay $750,000 in back wages and interest to settle allegations of hiring discrimination.
The action affects 504 qualified applicants – including 349 African Americans, one American Indian/Alaskan Native, 109 Asians, 44 Hispanics and one Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander – who the company rejected for Inside Sales Representative positions at its Conway location.
Executive Order 11246 prohibits federal contractors such as HP from discriminating in employment based on race or national origin.
After an investigation that included rigorous statistical analysis, employee and applicant interviews, and a review of information supplied by the company, OFCCP concluded that HP discriminated against qualified minorities who applied for inside sales representative positions between December 2008 and August 2010.
In its conciliation agreement with OFCCP, HP denies liability, but will pay back wages and interest to the affected class members.
The company has also agreed to place 33 of the applicants into inside sales representative positions, with retroactive seniority for the new hires, as positions become available. HP will also undertake extensive measures to ensure that its personnel practices, including record keeping, comply with the law.
HP provides automatic data processing, telecommunication services and other computer-related services to the federal government. During the period reviewed in this investigation, the company received more than $200 million in federal contracts. ■