Fiscal Year 2019 Saw $40 Million in Employment Discrimination Settlements for OFCCP

The 2019 fiscal year was a record-setting year for the Office of Federal contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP), a division of the Department of Labor. The OFCCP was created to ensure nondiscrimination and equal opportunity employment by contractors and subcontractors working for the federal government. It prohibits these contractors from discriminating on the basis of race, color, gender identity, religion, sex, sexual orientation, disability or veteran status.

There was more than $40 million in monetary settlements in 2019, which was a greater than $16 million increase over the 2017 fiscal year, which was the second-highest year on record. Some of the most notable settlements of the year included:

  • $4.2 million, Bank of America: The Bank of America case involved allegations of discrimination on the basis of gender and race at various locations throughout the United States. The settlement figure includes back wages and interest, and requires the bank to monitor its hiring practices nationwide and to hire a consultant to assess those practices over the course of the next five years.
  • $7 million, Dell Technologies: Dell was alleged to discriminate in wages on the basis of race and gender. The settlement includes lost wages, interest and benefits, and asurrances that all employees will be given equal opportunities.
  • $9.995 million, Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC: This settlement resolved issues of wage discrimination on the basis of race and gender, and includes back pay and interest to approximately 600 workers in the New York City headquarters.

For more information about the OFCCP program and how to submit information through it, contact an experienced whistleblower lawyer at Kardell Law Group.