Investigators with the U.S. Department of Labor say a contract compliance evaluation of Lincoln Electric, found that between 2005 and 2007, the global welding giant systematically rejected the job applications of more than 5,557 African Americans seeking entry level positions at the company’s Cleveland facility.
Bradley Anderson, a supervisor with the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, said, “The majority of the applicants were African American. It turned out the majority of the hires were white, and that’s what led to this systemic disparity.”
According to a statement from the Department of Labor, since 2005, Lincoln Electric has been the beneficiary of more than $3 million in contracts with the federal government, and because of that, the company must follow federal guidelines on the hiring of minorities.
As part of a settlement of the discrimination case, federal investigators say Lincoln Electric has agreed to pay out a total of $1 million, to be shared by the more than 5,500 applicants, who were not given an opportunity to work. Anderson said the company has also agreed to change its hiring practices, and will offer entry-level jobs to 48 people who had been rejected, as positions become available.
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SOURCE: JACK SHEA
Fox 8 Cleveland
