Cargill's Federal Contracts In Jeopardy After Allegations of Discrimination Arise
Allegations of discriminatory hiring practices at Cargill’s Springdale, Arkansas meat-packing plant have prompted federal officials to say they want to cancel existing contracts with and prevent future ones with the Minnepaolis-based food conglomerate.
Cargill Meat Solutions systematically discriminated against more than 4,000 female, white, black, Hispanic and Native American qualified applicants seeking entry-level production jobs at the Springdale facility, according to an administrative complaint filed with the department's Office of Administrative Law Judges.
The complaint was filed after he U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Federal Contract Compliance Program (OFCCP) was unable to secure a fair resolution from Cargill Meat Solutions to pay back wages and interest to the rejected job applicants and extend job offers to at least 167 of the affected workers.
"This is an unfortunate case in which thousands of qualified workers were denied the opportunity to compete fairly for jobs in a tough economy," OFCCP Director Patricia A. Shiu, said in a statement. "Cargill has discriminated against vulnerable workers. OFCCP is prepared to use every tool at our disposal, including canceling a company's federal contracts when necessary, to achieve the goal of equal opportunity for workers."
The allegations add to the woes of the Springdale plant which was linked earlier this year to a Salmonella outbreak. Ground turkey processed at the plant sickened 136 people in 34 states between February and September, forced the temporary closure of the plant and prompted the largest meat recall in U.S. history
Source: http://www.dol.gov/opa/media/press/ofccp/OFCCP20111648.htm
