A Virginia technology company has agreed to pay thousands of dollars in penalties for posting a “whites only” job ad last year, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ).
The DOJ said in a release on Monday that it and the Department of Labor had reached agreements with Arthur Grand Technologies Inc. to resolve allegations of discriminatory job postings.
Arthur Grand will pay the U.S. Treasury a civil penalty of $7,500 and compensation to the complainants of $31,000 after an investigation found that a 2023 job ad violated the Immigration and Nationality Act, according to the terms of separate settlements.
The listing included in bolded text: “Only Born U.S. Citizens [White] who are local within 60 miles from Dallas, Texas [Don’t share with candidates].”
Investigation Findings and Legal Violations
The Labor Department determined that this action violated Executive Order 11246, which prohibits discrimination by federal contractors. Specifically, Arthur Grand was found to have discriminated against job seekers based on their race and national origin during the recruitment process for a salesforce business analyst position.
The investigation revealed that a job ad posted by a recruiter in India unlawfully deterred certain individuals from applying. The findings were issued in January but released publicly in May. Arthur Grand agreed to take several corrective actions to avoid legal proceedings as part of a conciliation agreement.
“It is shameful that in the 21st century, we continue to see employers using ‘whites only’ and ‘only U.S. born’ job postings to lock out otherwise eligible job candidates of color,” DOJ Civil Rights Division Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke said in a statement.
Company’s Response and Settlement Terms
Last year, the company said in a since-deleted LinkedIn statement that the posting was not authorized by Arthur Grand or its employees.
“A former employee took an existing posting and added discriminatory language, then reposted it through his own account,” the company stated. “The moment this was brought to our attention, we worked with the job portal to remove this offensive job posting. Necessary legal action has been initiated against the job poster.”
Arthur Grand described itself in the statement as a “minority-owned” company that “prides itself” on the diversity of its staff and leadership.
The Epoch Times has contacted Arthur Grand for comment.
As part of the settlements, those eligible will receive a minimum payment of $1,000 each. The company has neither admitted nor denied the violations but has agreed to the terms to avoid further litigation.
Similar Controversy and Congressional Inquiry
A similar controversy swirled around a job posting by the Kraft Group, which owns the New England Patriots, for advertising a sports management job that required applicants to be “BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and Person of Color).”
The job ad, which went viral in March, was highlighted as discriminating against white candidates.
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits unlawful employment practices that discriminate based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.
