CHICAGO – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs entered into a consent decree with Rosemount Inc. of Chanhassen, Minnesota, and its subsidiary, Rosemount Specialty Products LLC. of Wenatchee, Washington, requiring the federal contractor to provide documents and information necessary to complete a scheduled compliance review of the company’s equal employment opportunity practices.

The consent decree entered Dec. 20, 2022, by the Office of Administrative Law Judges in Washington D.C., resolves an administrative complaint filed on Sept. 9, 2022, by the department against the companies.

“Failure to provide required documentation for a compliance review is a clear violation of the legal obligations of a federal contractor,” said Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs Regional Director Carmen Navarro in Chicago. “By entering a federal contract, employers are agreeing to such reviews. The Department of Labor will take all necessary steps to ensure equitable access to good paying jobs provided under federal contracts and to ensure that employers meet their contractual obligations of nondiscrimination and equal employment opportunity.”

Rosemount Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Emerson Electric Co. in St. Louis and its subsidiary, Rosemount Specialty Products – which manufactures measuring and controlling devices – that has contracts with the Department of Defense and the Defense Logistics Agency.

On July 2, 2021, OFCCP requested Rosemount provide required information on its Affirmative Action Programs and supporting data information in a scheduling letter. In late August 2021, Rosemount submitted the company’s policy and procedure statements about its equal opportunity practices but did not submit the supporting data requested.

Despite repeated requests, Rosemount failed to provide OFCCP with the missing data including employment activity such as applicants, hires, promotions and terminations by job group or job title as well as information on its affirmative action goals. On Nov. 18, 2021, the agency issued a Show Cause Notice to Rosemount, demanding it either submit the outstanding information and data or demonstrate why enforcement proceedings should not be initiated. Having received no response, the U.S. Department of Labor filed a lawsuit in September 2022, asking the Office of Administrative Law Judges to compel the companies to provide the required documents and information.

Under the terms of the decree that resolves the Administrative Complaint, the companies agreed to provide OFCCP with the required information on Rosemount’s Affirmative Action Programs and supporting data information that were initially requested in the scheduling letter and to cooperate to provide information responsive to follow up requests or inquiries from OFCCP.

OFCCP enforces Executive Order 11246, Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Vietnam Era Veterans' Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974. Together, these laws prohibit employment discrimination.

Learn more about OFCCP.

OFCCP Control No. R00304350

RICHLAND, WA – The U.S. Department of Labor has reached an early resolution conciliation agreement with an environmental cleanup provider alleged to have discriminated against 151 Hispanic applicants for contract employment at the Department of Energy’s Hanford Site near Richland.

An investigation by the department’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs found that – from Jan. 1, 2019, to Dec. 31, 2019 – Washington River Protection Solutions LLC discriminated against the affected applicants who sought jobs as health physics technician trainees.

While not admitting liability, the employer will pay $157,621 in back wages and interest to the affected jobseekers, and make job offers to eligible class members. Washington River Protection Solutions must also revise and monitor its selection process, personnel practices and hiring policies to ensure non-discriminatory hiring practices are in place at the Richland location.  

“Federal contractors are obliged to provide all applicants with equal employment opportunities to make certain all workers have a fair shot at getting and keeping good paying jobs,” said Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs Regional Director Jane Suhr in San Francisco.

Headquartered in Richland, Washington River Protection Solutions provides environmental cleanup and management services under contract to the Department of Energy. From 2008 to 2021, the company received more than $7 billion in federal contracts. 

Executive Order 11246 prohibits federal contractors from discriminating in employment based on race, sex, color, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or national origin.

Learn more about OFCCP. If you think you may be a member of the affected class during the investigative period, please visit the Class Member Locator. The agency offers the Class Member Locator to identify applicants or workers who may be entitled to monetary relief and/or consideration for job placement as a result of OFCCP’s compliance evaluations and complaint investigations.

OFCCP enforces Executive Order 11246, Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974.

CAMDEN, NJ – The U.S. Department of Labor and Cooper Health System have entered into a conciliation agreement to resolve alleged hiring and compensation discrimination at the teaching hospital and biomedical research facility in Camden.

A compliance review by the department’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs found that, from July 1, 2016 to Dec. 31, 2017, Cooper Health System discriminated against 64 female, Black and Hispanic  applicants for nurse associate PRN positions, and discriminated against 337 affected individuals employed in supervisor, nursing and clerical positions by paying them less than comparable male and white employees. These actions violated Executive Order 11246, which prohibits federal contractors from discriminating in employment decisions based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or national origin.

Cooper Health System has agreed to pay $625,000, including $514,463, in back pay and $110,536, in interest, to the affected candidates. The contractor also will  take steps to ensure its personnel and compensation practices, including recordkeeping and internal auditing procedures, meet legal requirements. 

“When an employer accepts a federal contract, they must ensure equal opportunity in its hiring practices and pay their workers their full legally earned wages and benefits,” said Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs Northeast Regional Director Diana Sen in New York. “This agreement will have a lasting impact on Cooper Health System’s workforce and sets a standard for the industry.”

Cooper Health System has federal contracts with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

OFCCP launched the Class Member Locator to identify applicants or workers who may be entitled to monetary relief and/or consideration for job placement as a result of OFCCP’s compliance evaluations and complaint investigations. If you think you may be a class member who applied for or was interested in the nurse associate PRN position at Cooper Health System during the investigative period, please use the Class Member Locator to learn more about this and other settlements. For more information, call OFCCP’s s toll-free helpline at 800-397-6251.  

OFCCP enforces Executive Order 11246, Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974.

JERSEY CITY, NJ – The U.S. Department of Labor and the Bank of New York Mellon Corp. have entered into an agreement to resolve alleged systematic discrimination by the federal contractor against female, Black and Hispanic employees at its Jersey City location.

A routine compliance review by the department’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs found BNY Mellon discriminated against 120 female workers in investment services technology positions and 47 Black and 26 Hispanic workers in its technology services group from Dec. 1, 2016, to Dec. 1, 2017. OFCCP determined the company paid the female employees less than their male counterparts in similar positions, and paid the Black and Hispanic workers less than their Asian counterparts in similar positions. These actions violated Executive Order 11246, which prohibits federal contractors from discriminating in employment decisions based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or national origin.

BNY Mellon entered into a conciliation agreement voluntarily to resolve the allegations before OFCCP issued a notice of violation. Pursuant to the agreement, the federal contractor will pay $1.925 million in back wages and interest to the affected employees and do the following:

• Conduct a compensation analysis for the affected groups.
• Make salary adjustments to remedy significant pay disparities based on gender, race and/or ethnicity.
• Review and revise its overall compensation system.
• Provide enhanced training to its managers to ensure future compliance.
• Analyze compensation annually for disparities.

“Our conciliation agreement with BNY Mellon Corp. will ensure that the federal contractor’s compensation policies and practices provide equal pay and will remedy discriminatory and unjustified pay gaps,” said Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs Northeast Regional Director Diana Sen in New York.

BNY Mellon is the world’s largest custodian bank and securities services company and has federal contracts with the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp., the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the Department of Veterans Affairs.

OFCCP launched the Class Member Locator to identify applicants or workers who may be entitled to monetary relief and/or consideration for job placement as a result of OFCCP’s compliance evaluations and complaint investigations. If you think you may be eligible for back pay from this settlement or may know someone who is, please visit the Class Member Locator to learn more about this and other settlements.

OFCCP enforces Executive Order 11246, Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974.  

SAN DIEGO – The U.S. Department of Labor has entered into a settlement agreement with LAZ Parking California LLC and will pay $320,000 in back wages and interest to 678 affected job seekers to resolve allegations of race- and gender-based hiring discrimination affecting Black and female applicants at its Southern California facilities.

The agreement follows a routine compliance evaluation by the department’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs that alleges – from May 1, 2018, to April 30, 2019 – the employer discriminated against Black applicants and female applicants in hiring valet, shuttle driver and customer service representative positions at several locations in Los Angeles, Orange County, Riverside and San Diego, California. Executive Order 11246 prohibits federal contractors from discriminating in employment based race, sex, color, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or national origin.

In addition to paying back wages to the affected applicants, Laz Parking California has agreed to revise its recruiting and selection procedures to ensure its personnel practices comply with federal law. The employer will extend 49 job offers and take proactive steps to ensure its application and hiring processes are not discriminatory.

“Our agreement with LAZ Parking California will ensure that people applying for positions there will have equal access in hiring as the law requires,” explained Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs Regional Director Jane Suhr in San Francisco. “In addition to paying back wages and interest to nearly 700 job seekers, the company has taken corrective actions to prevent discrimination in its hiring practices moving forward.”

LAZ Parking California LLC in San Diego is a subsidiary of LAZ Karp Associates LLC in Hartford, Connecticut. Founded in 1981, LAZ Parking operates in 39 states and more than 450 cities with more than 1.2 million parking spaces in more than 3,500 locations nationwide. The company has federal contracts with several entities, including the Department of Justice, the Executive Office of the President and the General Services Administration.

Learn more about OFCCP. If you think you may be a member of the affected class during the investigative period, please visit the Class Member Locator. The agency offers the Class Member Locator to identify applicants or workers who may be entitled to monetary relief and/or consideration for job placement as a result of OFCCP’s compliance evaluations and complaint investigations.

OFCCP enforces Executive Order 11246, Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974.

LEWISVILLE, TX – The U.S. Department of Labor has entered into an early resolution conciliation agreement with Sysco North Texas Inc. to resolve alleged hiring discrimination against 798 female and Black job applicants at the federal contractor’s Lewisville warehouse distribution center.

The conciliation agreement follows a routine compliance evaluation by the department’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs that alleged – from Nov. 20, 2017, through Dec. 17, 2019 – Sysco North Texas Inc. discriminated against 135 female applicants and 663 Black male applicants when hiring for outbound selector positions. Executive Order 11246 prohibits federal contractors from discriminating in employment based race, sex, color, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or national origin.

“No person should be rejected when they apply for a job because of their gender or their race,” said Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs Southwest Regional Director Melissa Speer in Dallas. “The U.S. Department of Labor and Sysco North Texas worked together to resolve these matters and to prevent similar discrimination issues from happening again. We appreciate that Sysco North Texas moved quickly to remedy our concerns and has committed to ensuring future compliance with federal hiring and equal employment opportunity laws.”

As part of the agreement, the employer paid $121,000 in back wages to the affected applicants and agreed to extend job opportunities to six female and five Black applicants not selected for the outbound selector position. It will also provide training to all company employees involved in hiring decisions and will review and revise its recruitment processes to prevent discrimination.

During the period that OFCCP reviewed, the company had federal contracts with the Department of Defense and the Department of Interior’s bureaus of Indian Affairs and Indian Education.

A subsidiary of the Houston-based Sysco Corp. – a global leader in selling, marketing and distributing food products to restaurants, healthcare and educational facilities, and lodging establishments, and providing equipment to the foodservice and hospitality industries, the Sysco North Texas distribution center is one of more than 300 operated by Sysco worldwide.

In a related matter, Sysco Corp. also entered into a conciliation agreement with the department at its Sysco Central Texas Inc. location in New Braunfels to resolve allegations of hiring discrimination against 180 female applicants, and 190 Black male applicants.

OFCCP launched the Class Member Locator to identify applicants or workers who may be entitled to monetary relief and/or consideration for job placement because of OFCCP’s compliance evaluations and complaint investigations. If you think you may be a class member employed by Sysco Corp., learn more about this and other settlements.

OFCCP enforces Executive Order 11246, Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974.

NEW BRAUNFELS, TX – The U.S. Department of Labor has entered into an early resolution conciliation agreement with Sysco Central Texas Inc. to resolve alleged hiring discrimination against 370 female and Black job applicants at the federal contractor’s New Braunfels warehouse distribution center.

The conciliation agreement follows a routine compliance evaluation by the department’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs that alleged – from Jan. 5, 2018, through Feb. 17, 2020 – Sysco Central Texas Inc. discriminated against 180 female applicants and 190 Black male applicants, when hiring for outbound selector positions. Executive Order 11246 prohibits federal contractors from discriminating in employment –based race, sex, color, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or national origin.

As part of the agreement, the employer paid $154,000 in back wages to the affected applicants and agreed to extend job opportunities to eight female and seven Black applicants not selected for the outbound selector position. It will also provide training to all company employees involved in hiring decisions, and will review and revise its recruitment processes to prevent discrimination.

“Sysco Central Texas cooperated with the U.S. Department of Labor to resolve these matters and are taking steps to prevent similar issues from happening again,” said Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs Southwest Regional Director Melissa Speer in Dallas. “Sysco Central Texas took immediate action to comply with federal hiring and equal employment opportunity laws, and to ensure future compliance.”

During the OFCCP evaluation period, Sysco Central Texas had federal contracts with the Department of Defense and the Department of Interior’s bureaus of Indian Affairs and Indian Education.

A subsidiary of the Houston-based Sysco Corp. – a global leader in selling, marketing and distributing food products to restaurants, healthcare and educational facilities, and lodging establishments, and providing equipment to the foodservice and hospitality industries – the Sysco Central Texas distribution center is one of more than 300 operated by Sysco worldwide.

In a related matter, Sysco Corp. also entered into a separate conciliation agreement with the department to resolve allegation of hiring discrimination against 135 female applicants and 663 Black male applicants at its Sysco North Texas Inc. warehouse in Lewisville, Texas.

OFCCP launched the Class Member Locator to identify applicants or workers who may be entitled to monetary relief and/or consideration for job placement as a result of OFCCP’s compliance evaluations and complaint investigations. If you think you may be a class member employed by Sysco Corp., learn more about this and other settlements.

OFCCP enforces Executive Order 11246, Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974.

ALEXANDRIA, VA – The U.S. Department of Labor has filed a lawsuit against a cybersecurity provider and federal contractor in Alexandria after an investigation found the employer allegedly fired an employee with a disability for having a disability and requesting a reasonable accommodation.

Filed in the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Administrative Law Judges, the suit against Resource Metrix seeks position reinstatement, back and front pay, interest, retroactive seniority and all other employment benefits for the employee who was terminated eight days after joining the company as an executive administrative assistant in September 2019.

The lawsuit follows a complaint investigation begun on Feb. 20, 2020, by the department’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs. OFCCP determined that the former employee indicated on their job application and during an interview with the company’s owner, Cory Ash, and Resource Metrix’s human resources recruiter and coordinator, that they needed an ergonomic chair as a reasonable accommodation due to a disability that caused regular neck pain and difficulty sitting still.

The employee started the job on Sept. 3, 2019, and worked for several days in a non-ergonomic chair. On Sept. 6, the employee informed Resource Metrix that the chair provided had exacerbated their back condition. The employer granted the administrative assistant permission to leave work that day to see a doctor, obtain necessary medical documentation, and take leave the following week on Sept. 9 and 10 to await the arrival of the ergonomic chair, which the employee did.

On Sept. 10, the company terminated the assistant while the complainant was on the approved leave. On Sept. 11, when they questioned their termination, the company’s owner told the employee that the company terminated them for being a “no-show.” OFCCP concluded that Resource Metrix’s actions violated Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which prohibits federal contractors and subcontractors from discriminating in employment against individuals with disabilities and retaliating against employees who request reasonable accommodations and requires employers to take affirmative action to recruit, hire, promote and retain employees with disabilities.

“When the administrative assistant questioned the termination, Resource Metrix’s owner told them not to use disability as an excuse, which is discriminatory and unacceptable,” said Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs Mid-Atlantic Regional Director Samuel Maiden in Philadelphia. “Companies will not be permitted to reap the benefits of contracting with the federal government while unlawfully discriminating in their employment process based on one’s disability.”

“This lawsuit sends a clear message to federal contractors that the U.S. Department of Labor will vigorously enforce the law to ensure equality and compliance with anti-discrimination regulations,” explained Regional Solicitor Oscar L. Hampton III in Philadelphia.

The department’s lawsuit additionally seeks to permanently enjoin Resource Metrix and its owner from failing and refusing to comply with the requirements of Section 503 and debar and cancel the company’s federal contracts if it does not provide relief as ordered.

Founded in 2011, Resource Metrix provides management consulting and software development services. It has federal contracts with the National Guard Bureau, the worksite where the discrimination alleged in this complaint originated, as well as with the U.S. Army, Federal Aviation Administration, and General Services Administration.

OFCCP enforces  Executive Order 11246, Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974. These legal authorities require that federal contractors provide equal employment opportunity through affirmative action.

NEW KENSINGTON, PA – The U.S. Department of Labor has entered into an early resolution conciliation agreement with one of the nation’s largest uniform providers to pay $104,568, in back pay and interest to 37 former and current female employees in the company’s New Kensington production facility to resolve alleged pay discrimination identified in a routine audit.

A compliance review by the department’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs alleges that UniFirst paid some female employees less than their male counterparts since Jan. 1, 2021. By doing so, the employer violated Executive Order 11246, which prohibits federal contractors from discriminating in employment based on race, color, sex, gender identity or national origin.

In addition to paying back pay and interest, the Wilmington, Massachusetts-based employer has agreed proactively to review their policies and practices and analyze base salaries of production department employees for compensation disparities.

“Our agreement with UniFirst shows the U.S. Department of Labor’s commitment to combating pay discrimination and holding federal contractors accountable if they fail to ensure equal employment opportunity,” explained Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs Regional Director Sam Maiden in Philadelphia. “Federal contractors must ensure there are no gender-based disparities in compensation.”

UniFirst has previously entered into OFCCP conciliation agreements for alleged violations in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Jan. 20, 2017, and for alleged violations in Nashua, New Hampshire, on July 30, 2020. “We appreciate UniFirst working with the department cooperatively to resolve the latest issue quickly, and put steps in place to prevent it from happening again,” Maiden said.

Founded in 1936, UniFirst is one of North America’s largest workwear and textile service companies, providing uniforms, protective clothing and custom corporate image apparel programs to customers, including federal government agencies such as the Department of Veterans Affairs, Drug Enforcement Administration, Customs and Border Protection, and the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. It employs approximately 14,000 employees in North America and Europe.

Learn more about OFCCP. The agency offers the Class Member Locator to identify applicants or workers who may be entitled to monetary relief and/or consideration for job placement as a result of OFCCP’s compliance evaluations and complaint investigations. If you think you may be a member of the affected class at UniFirst during the investigative period, please visit the Class Member Locator. 

OFCCP enforces Executive Order 11246, Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974.

HOUSTON – The U.S. Department of Labor has entered into a conciliation agreement with a leading armored security provider to the financial industry to resolve alleged systemic race- and gender-based hiring discrimination at its Houston facility.

The agreement follows a routine compliance evaluation by the department’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs that alleged  – from April 3, 2017, through April 3, 2019 – Loomis Armored US LLC discriminated against 355 Black male and female applicants, and 181 other female applicants, when hiring for cash management service teller positions. The alleged actions violate Executive Order 11246, which prohibits federal contractors from discriminating in employment based race, sex, color, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or national origin.

Loomis Armored US has agreed to pay $375,000, in back wages to 536 Black and female applicants, and to revise its recruiting and selection procedures to ensure its personnel practices meet legal requirements. In addition, the employer will extend job opportunities to 24 affected Black and female applicants at its facilities nationwide.

“Our agreement with Loomis Armored US LLC will resolve alleged violations discovered in a routine compliance audit, compensate affected job applicants, and ensure the employer complies with federal hiring and employment laws,” explained Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs Regional Director Melissa Speer in Dallas.

During the period that OFCCP reviewed, the company had federal contracts with the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, IRS, Department of Veterans Affairs, the National Park Service and the Defense Commissary Agency.

Founded in 1925 as Loomis Armored Car Service, the company was the first to transport cash in the Western U.S. in armored vehicles. Today, Loomis Armored US LLC has nearly 200 locations, and more than 9,000 employees and 3,000 vehicles. It provides products and services to financial institutions and commercial and retail businesses nationwide.

OFCCP launched the Class Member Locator to identify applicants or workers who may be entitled to monetary relief and/or consideration for job placement as a result of OFCCP’s compliance evaluations and complaint investigations. If you think you may be a class member employed by Loomis Armored US LLC, learn more about this and other settlements.

OFCCP enforces Executive Order 11246, Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974.