U.S. Department of Labor settles discrimination case with Coca-Cola bottler

U.S. Department of Labor settles discrimination case with Coca-Cola bottler

2010-10-08 07:09:12 GMT+7 (ICT)

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA (BNO NEWS) – The U.S. Department of Labor on Thursday announced that the Coca-Cola Bottling Company has agreed to pay $495,000 in back wages and interest to 95 African-American and Hispanic job seekers who applied for positions at the company in 2002.

The minority applicants were not hired despite being more qualified and experienced than non-minority individuals who were hired instead. The job seekers applied for sales support positions at the company's Black Satchel Road distribution facility in Charlotte, North Carolina.

This plant is the second largest Coca-Cola bottler in the nation and a major supplier of Coke brand products to military and government installations under a number of federal contracts. The investigation was conducted by Department of Labor's Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP).

"The Labor Department is firmly committed to ensuring that those who do business with our government do not discriminate in their employment practices. Being a federal contractor is a privilege that comes with an obligation to ensure equal opportunity in employment," said OFCCP Director Patricia Shiu.

OFCCP's investigation of the company's hiring practices found that non-minority applicants, like African-American and Hispanic, were not given jobs due to discrimination. Statistical analysis determined that the disparity in hires was too great to occur solely by chance.

In addition to the economic compensation, the Coca-Cola Bottling Company agreed in the settlement to make offers of employment to those 95 applicants until at least 23 interested applicants are hired.

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