ROANOKE (WSLS 10) - A division of Norfolk Southern Corp has entered into an agreement with the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs to resolve allegations of race-based hiring discrimination.
Norfolk Southern has had more than $10 million in contracts with the Federal Highway Administration, U.S. Department of the Navy, U.S. Department of Air Force and U.S. Fish & Wildlife Services in recent years.
Maintenance of Way #34 – a business unit in Norfolk Southern's engineering department – entered into the agreement after OFCCP determined the company failed to provide equal employment opportunities to 2,086 African-Americans who applied for the track laborer and building and bridge laborer positions at the company's Roanoke facility. During its scheduled compliance evaluation, OFCCP found that – from Jan. 1, 2010, through Dec. 31, 2011 – Maintenance of Way #34 engaged in hiring practices that discriminated against African-American applicants.
The company's actions violated Executive Order 11246, which prohibits federal contractors from discriminating in employment based on race or color in their employment practices.
Under the terms of the agreement, the company, which has not admitted liability, will pay $492,000 in back pay and interest to the African-American applicants. Norfolk Southern also agreed to make job offers to seven of the non-selected applicants. Additionally, the company has agreed to discontinue use of the selection procedures in question for the track laborer and building and bridge laborer positions, and to review and modify its employment practices including recruitment, screening, interviewing, selection, rejection and hiring in order to comply with Executive Order 11246. The agreement resolves all violations found by OFCCP.
If you are an African-American who applied for work as a track laborer or building and bridge laborer with Norfolk Southern's Maintenance of Way #34 business unit in Roanoke from Jan. 1, 2010, to Dec. 31, 2011, and were not hired, visit http://www.dol.gov/ofccp/CML/index.htm, where you can also find information about this and other recent OFCCP settlements, or call 844-438-0272.