(FixThisNation.com) – On Thursday the Justice Department announced that Apple has settled a lawsuit that alleged that they had discriminated against U.S. permanent residents and citizens in their hiring practices for some position. As part of the settlement, the company has agreed to pay $25 million.
According to the suit, Apple had been using a pattern of discriminating during the hiring process based on the applicant’s citizenship status through the permanent labor certification program (PERM). This allowed employers to provide sponsorship to workers who had permanent resident status.
The Justice Department noted that the position was not explicitly advertised as wanting to hire through the PERM program. It was also required that all those applying sent in a paper application, which significantly reduced the number of submissions by people who were not eligible for the program.
Kristen Clarke, the Assistant Attorney General noted that it was not tolerated for unlawful barriers to entry to be created that would block someone looking for a job because of their citizenship status. She added that the resolution showed the dedication of the Civil Rights Division and putting an end to the discriminatory hiring practices.
As part of the settlement, Apple will be required to pay $6.75 million in penalties, as well as $18.25 million in back pay. They will also be required to post the program-eligible positions externally on their website. They will also be required to make the positions eligible for electronic applications and the positions will need to be searchable through the applicant tracking system.
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