Dive Brief:
- Deere & Co. will do it pay $1.1 million to settle the allegations that discriminated against black and Hispanic applicants at three production facilities in Illinois and Iowa, the Labor Department announced June 6.
- The department’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs found hiring disparities in Milan, Illinois and the company. Ankeny and the Waterloo, Iowa facility following routine compliance assessments in 2021 and 2022.
- As a result, the farm equipment maker will pay more than $1 million in back wages and interest to 277 black and Hispanic people who applied for warehouse, assembly and production jobs.
Diving knowledge:
Deere’s settlement over alleged workplace discrimination is the largest of its kind made public by the Labor Department this year.
The agency found statistically significant differences in hiring rates for black and Hispanic applicants among the three sites for hiring practices dating back to June 2019 in the Ankeny facility through December 31, 2021 at the Milan facility, according to Deere’s settlement agreement with the Department of Labor.
As part of its settlement, Deere will also make 53 job offers to eligible class members and review its personnel practices, including record-keeping and internal audit procedures.
“As an equal opportunity company, we remain steadfast in our commitment to our people and continually strive to ensure our recruitment and talent practices advance and champion diversity, equity and inclusion,” Deere public relations director Jen Hartmann said in an email. .
Deere performs federal contract work for the Departments of Agriculture, Interior and Transportation, as well as the US Army, the Defense Logistics Agency and the US Forest Service.
Deere’s settlement follows settlements the Labor Department has reached with other federal contractors cited for discrimination this year. Caterpillar agreed in May to pay $800,000 on allegations of racial discrimination, i GE Aerospace agreed in February to pay $443,000 related to claims it discriminated against female job applicants.
The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs has announced that it has entered into settlements totaling $2.7 million to resolve allegations of discrimination against federal contractors so far this year.
