Tyson agrees to pay $1.5 million to settle hiring case

Tyson said that it had not committed any violations of hiring practices at the poultry plants or trucking facility identified in the US Labor Department’s findings, but that it  had agreed to settle in order to avoid potentially costly and drawn-out litigation.

The Labor Department had alleged that the company discriminated against certain women and minority job applicants for entry-level production jobs in poultry plants and some trucking positions.

“This administration is strongly committed to ensuring that all Americans are hired, promoted, and compensated fairly,” Labor Secretary Elaine Chao said in the statement announcing the settlement. “Failure to comply with workplace discrimination laws could be a very expensive mistake.”

Springdale, Arkansas-based Tyson said there were legitimate reasons for denying the entry-level applicants jobs. The company said that a lack of time and incomplete documentation of its hiring selection processes made it difficult to defend its practices. The company said it has since implemented new procedures to ensure the retention of all relevant documentation of its selection processes and is conducting more frequent audits of its employment practices.

Tyson also said it will make employment offers to some of the individuals named in the suit who are still interested in working for the company.