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ESA News Release: [01/07/2003]
Contact Name: Yvonne Ralsky
Phone Number: (202) 693-4676

Labor Department Sanctions Baltimore Company for Violating Equal Opportunity Agreement

BALTIMORE, Md.—The U.S. Department of Labor today filed an administrative complaint and a consent decree to compel a company providing waste services to the U.S. Postal Service in the Baltimore area to comply with its equal employment opportunity responsibilities as a federal contractor.

Under terms of the consent decree, which must be approved by an administrative law judge, the company will be barred from bidding on additional federal contract work locally for six months.

“Because they accept taxpayers’ money, federal contractors have special obligations to comply with equal opportunity rules,” said Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao. “The Labor Department will fully and fairly enforce these rules.”

The department wants to require Houston, Texas-based BFI Waste Services, LLC, to fulfill an agreement it signed in March 2000 to correct recruitment and hiring deficiencies found in an equal employment opportunity compliance review of its facility at 230 West Dickman St., Baltimore. The department’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) conducted the review in 1999.

In the 2000 agreement, BFI agreed to offer a customer service job and back pay to an African-American woman who applied for a position in 1998 but was denied equal employment opportunity. This part of the agreement was allegedly breached. Today’s proposed consent decree obtains $44,838 in back pay and interest for the woman and a job offer when a suitable position becomes available. If hired, her seniority and vesting rights would be retroactive to 1998.

To enhance recruitment of women and minorities, BFI also agreed in 2000 to give Baltimore area organizations and agencies that work with women and minorities advance notice about job openings for craft workers and laborers. Alleging the company failed to comply with this provision, the proposed consent decree requires BFI to work with the Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation and other third parties to recruit female and minority applicants.

The OFCCP enforces laws and executive orders that require federal contractors to provide equal employment opportunity for women, minorities, people with disabilities and veterans. More information is available on the Web at www.dol.gov/esa/ofccp.

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