iNDICA NEWS BUREAU-
A tech company based in Ashburn, Virginia, has been fined thousands of dollars by the Justice Department over a job advert seeking “whites only” candidates.
The job posting by Arthur Grand Technologies Inc. was published in March 2023 and said that the company was only looking for “U.S. Born Citizens [white] who are local within 60 miles from Dallas, TX [Don’t share with candidates],” according to a Justice Department news release.
The Civil Rights Division’s Immigrant and Employee Rights Section opened an investigation in May 2023 and “determined that Arthur Grand discriminated based on citizenship status and national origin after a recruiter working for Arthur Grand’s subsidiary in India posted the advertisement on the job website Indeed.”
In a press release, the DOJ said both it and the Department of Labor have now reached separate agreements with Arthur Grand over the matter.
The company was ordered to pay a civil penalty of $7,500 as well as $31,000 compensation to those who filed complaints with the Department of Labor.
“It is shameful that in the 21st century, we continue to see employers using ‘whites only’ and ‘only US born’ job postings to lock out otherwise eligible job candidates of color. I share the public’s outrage at Arthur Grand’s appalling and discriminatory ban on job candidates based on citizenship status, national origin, color and race,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Justice Department, working with other government agencies, will continue to hold employers accountable when they violate our nation’s federal civil rights laws.”
Arthur Grand has also promised to provide training for all company employees involved in recruiting, selecting candidates or tracking expressions of interest for open positions.
As part of a Justice Department settlement, Arthur Grand will pay a civil penalty and will train its personnel on the INA’s requirements, revise its employment policies and be subject to departmental monitoring.
Arthur Grand must also pay compensation to those who filed complaints with the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs.
