DOL Sues Tyson Sub for Discrimination, Seeks to Cancel All Federal Contracts
The Department of Labor has filed an administrative complaint against a subsidiary of Tyson Foods Inc., alleging that Tyson Fresh Meat systematically refused to hire women at its Joslin, Ill., plant.
In addition to seeking back pay for 750 rejected applicants and jobs for 100, the DOL is also seeking to cancel all of Tyson’s federal contracts, reports the Blog of Legal Times.
The gender discrimination complaint by the DOL’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, if successful, would prevent Tyson from obtaining new federal contracts until the claimed violations are remedied.
The BLT could not immediately reach Tyson for comment. However, Reliable Plant magazine provides the full text of a statement by Ken Kimbro, who serves as the meat company’s senior vice president and chief human resources office.
Among other points, he says that the company has a policy against unlawful discrimination and does not believe it has discriminated. At the same time, it hopes to work cooperatively with the Labor Department to resolve the case.
“We believe this is really about documentation, not discrimination,” Kimbro says in the statement. “The OFCCP’s charges are solely based on an audit of job application forms at the plant, not on complaints by anyone who came to us seeking a job. We believe there were legitimate, non-discriminatory reasons certain applicants were not hired.”
