Pitney Bowes in settlement of hiring discrimination charges

Stamford-headquartered Pitney Bowes (NYSE:PBI) entered into an agreement with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs to resolve charges of alleged hiring discrimination at five of its facilities.

Under the terms of the agreement, Pitney Bowes will pay $1.59 million in back wages and interest to 468 applicants and will extend 106 job offers to the affected applicants. According to the complaint brought against the company, Pitney Bowes discriminated against Black, Hispanic, and White applicants between May 2019 and May 2021 for mail-sorting positions in Urbandale, Iowa; Levittown Town and Reading, Pennsylvania; Grand Prairie, Texas; and Brown Deer, Wisconsin.

“A settlement of this magnitude sends a clear message that federal contractors will be held accountable for discriminatory hiring practices,” said Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs Acting Director Michele Hodge. “Compliance with the law is not optional.”

“The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs takes the obligations of federal contractors seriously, particularly those that require employers to provide equal employment opportunities for all qualified job applicants,” said Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs Regional Director Carmen Navarro in Chicago.