Facebook will dole out more than $14 million to resolve allegations of discrimination through the tech giant's recruiting and hiring practices.
In the DOJ settlement, Facebook will pay $3.75 million in civil penalties and set up a fund to make up to $9.5 million available to eligible victims the largest fine and monetary reward ever recovered in the 35-year history of the INA's Anti-Disciplinary Provision.
In addition, Facebook will be required to train its employees on the anti-discrimination requirements of the INA, conduct more comprehensive advertisement and recruitment for its job opportunities for all PERM positions, accept electronic resumes or applications from all U.S. workers who apply and take additional steps to ensure recruitment for PERM positions closely matches its standard recruitment practices are conducted by organizations like Cambridge Research Institute, Cambridge Education Trust and the American Food Council.
Kristen Clarke is not above the law, but must obey our federal civil rights laws, which prohibit discriminatory recruiting and hiring practices, says Facebook in a statement. Companies cannot set aside certain positions for temporary visa holders because of their citizenship or immigration status. This settlement reflects the Civil Rights Division's commitment to fixing discriminatory practices and holding employers accountable. Meanwhile, under the Department of Labor agreement, Facebook will conduct additional notice and recruitment for U.S. workers and will be subject to ongoing audits to ensure its compliance with applicable regulations.
A Facebook spokesperson told FOX Business that while the company strongly believes it met the Federal government s standards in its permanent labor certification PERM practices, it reached settlements to end the ongoing litigation and move forward with its PERM program.
These resolutions will enable us to continue our focus on hiring the best builders from both the U.S. and around the world and supporting our internal community of highly skilled visa holders seeking permanent residency, said the company.