Cargill has agreed a $2.2m settlement after facing allegations it discriminated against the colour, race and gender of potential job applicants.
In 2011, the US Department of Labor filed a complaint against Cargill alleging the company had discriminated against white, black, Hispanic, Native American and female job applicants at a facility in Springdale in Arkansas. The allegation was based on three years of data starting in 2005. It has since emerged that the claims were in fact against three of Cargill’s sites in the US.
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At the time, Cargill issued a statement that said 84% of its employee population was a minority and 36% of its plant employees women. It said the Department’s claims were “unfounded and without merit.”
However, the meat company has announced it will pay $2.2m into a settlement fund, claiming it wants to “avoid the cost, business interruptions and uncertainty created by lengthy litigation”.
Cargill senior vice president Bill Buckner said: “”The decision to settle was not taken lightly, because we work hard every day to ensure compliance with all hiring laws, and we have an unwavering commitment to diversity and equal employment opportunity. “The plants involved in the bundled settlement include Fort Morgan, Colorado, Springdale, Arkansas; and Beardstown, Illinois. They have diverse employee populations, representing dozens of nationalities. It’s a fact we take great pride in, especially because these communities are thriving with economic prosperity that results from the diverse Cargill employee population.”
Buckner continued: “We are disappointed with the way the [Department of Labor agency] Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs uses a mathematical model to allege violations in the absence of evidence. We believe the agency needs to change the way it applies the law to ensure that OFCCP is not forcing employers to violate – by using quotas – the very laws the agency is supposed to be enforcing. We will continue to hire the best candidates available from those who apply for positions at our plants. People make Cargill the great organisation it is, and we believe we have the best.”
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