LabCorp to pay $525K to Indy employees after discrimination claims
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A subsidiary of laboratory services provider LabCorp will pay $525,000 in back wages to more than 200 applicants following a U.S. Department of Labor investigation into discriminatory hiring practices.
The labor department looked into potential discrimination by the federal contractor at its Indianapolis facility as a part of a routine investigation, federal officials said in a news release this week.
The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs specifically looked into potential discrimination among kit production assistant, sample handling assistant and medical technician positions with LabCorp Central Laboratory Services between May 3, 2019, and May 3, 2021.
Federal contractors like LabCorp, which provides services to the National Institutes of Health, are prohibited by a federal executive order from employment discrimination based on race, sex, color, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or national origin.
LabCorp, following the investigation, has agreed to provide back wages and interest to 205 Black applicants and 13 Asian applicants. The company will also extend job offers to 34 Black applicants and three Asian applications, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
LabCorp is based in Burlington, North Carolina, and employs more than 60,000 people serving clients across more than 100 countries.
“Our settlement with LabCorp shows that the Department of Labor will make sure the hiring practices of federal contractors and subcontractors comply with all federal regulations,” Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs Midwest Regional Director Carmen Navarro said. “When our evaluations detect failures to provide equal employment opportunities for all applicants, we will hold federal contractors accountable.”
Federal officials use a tool called the Class Member Locators to identify job applicants or employees who may have experienced discrimination. The Department of Labor encourages anyone who applied for lab positions between May 3, 2019, and May 3, 2021, to visit their website to learn more about the department’s settlement with LabCorp.