U.S. Department of Labor Judge Linda S. Chapman ordered Bank or America Corp., a federally insured financial institution, to pay 1,147 African-American job applicants $2,181,593 in back wages and interest for race discriminatory hiring practices at its Charlotte facility.

The ruling awards $964,033 to 1,034 applicants who were rejected for jobs in 1993 and $1,217,560 to 113 applicants rejected between 2002 and 2005.
“Wherever doors of opportunity are unfairly closed to workers, we will be there to open them, no matter how long it takes,” Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) Director Patricia A. Shiu said in a statement.

The case began in 1993 when the OFCCP initiated a routine compliance review, which revealed Bank of America’s discriminatory hiring practices affecting African-American applicants at the Charlotte facility.
After Bank of America failed to make changes, the Solicitor of Labor, in 1997, filed a complaint against the corporation for violating Executive Order 11246, which prevents federal contractors from discriminating in employment decisions.

“Our investigators and attorneys prevailed despite decades of stalling tactics,” said Solicitor of Labor M. Patricia Smith. “This case demonstrates that the department will not be deterred in our pursuit of justice for job seekers.”
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