Oct. 31 (UPI) — The Giant Company will have to pay $11,000, and retrain its staff, after the Justice Department found the grocery store chain discriminated against immigrants when hiring.
The Justice Department announced the settlement with the Pennsylvania-based grocer on Monday, after a non-U.S. citizen employee complained that Giant refused to accept documents giving her permission to work in the United States.
The investigation found that Giant, which operates more than 150 stores in Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia, refused to allow the employee to work because she did not present a green card as demanded, despite offering other documents.
“Employers cannot discriminate against employees because of their citizenship, immigration status or national origin when verifying their permission to work,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Right’s Division.
Under the settlement, Giant will pay an $11,000 civil penalty and train workers in anti-discrimination policies. Giant has also given the employee, who complained, $18,000 in back pay.
According to the Justice Department, employers should allow workers to present whatever acceptable documentation the workers choose and cannot reject valid documentation, such as driver’s licenses and Social Security cards. The Justice Department said Giant allowed U.S. citizens to choose from various documentation types.
Last month, Walmart, Capital One, Carmax and Axis Analytics LLC were ordered to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines over job postings on college recruiting websites that discriminated against non-U.S. citizens, according to the Justice Department.
“The Justice Department will continue to ensure that workers do not face unlawful discrimination when proving their permission to work in the United States,” the department said.
