The Department of Justice said the ads violate federal civil rights and labor laws.
A Virginia-based IT services company has been fined $38,500 (Rs 3,211,177) for advertising jobs that only invited white applicants born in the United States. BBC According to reports, the discriminatory ad was posted by Arthur Grand Technologies on its job site in March 2023 for a business analyst position, with a bold disclaimer stating: “U.S.-born citizens only.” [White] According to a Justice Department news release, the ad was targeted to “local residents within 60 miles of Dallas.” The ad also included a parenthetical message: “Do not share with candidates.”
The ad sparked outrage on social media, quickly garnered national attention, and prompted investigations by the Departments of Justice and Labor. Arthur Grand is now required to pay a civil penalty of $7,500 to the U.S. Treasury, as well as a total of $31,000 in restitution to people who filed complaints about the incident.
The Department of Justice announced it would impose fines, alleging that the ad violates federal civil rights and labor laws.
In its settlement agreement, the company said the ads were “created by disgruntled recruiters in India and intended to embarrass the company” and were not intended to discourage foreigners from applying.
The company also committed to providing training to all employees involved in recruiting, selecting candidates and tracking expressions of interest for open positions.
“It is shameful that, in the 21st century, employers continue to use ‘whites only’ or ‘born in the U.S.’ job ads to exclude otherwise qualified job applicants of color. I share the public’s outrage over Arthur Grand’s egregiously discriminatory actions to exclude job applicants based on citizenship status, national origin, color and race,” Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division said in a statement.
In a statement CNNThe company’s CEO said it “strongly denies any allegations of wrongdoing.”
“This unauthorized post was made from an employee’s own email address and account, by an employee upset about their Performance Improvement Plan (PIP). Upon discovery, we took immediate and decisive action to ensure this type of incident does not happen again, including immediately terminating the employee responsible,” Sheikh Ramatoullah said.
