Alltel agrees to pay $275,000 to settle discrimination complaint (UALR Public Radio) - The U.S. Labor Department's Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs says Alltel Corporation has agreed to pay $275,000 to settle a sex-discrimination complaint by the agency.

According to the federal agency, the Alltel Communications Incorporated facility at Little Rock was accused of engaging in hiring discrimination based on gender over a one-year period. The release said those affected included 539 female applicants for jobs as financial-service and technical-support representatives.

Deputy Assistant Labor Secretary Charles E. James Senior said in a news release that the settlement should put all federal contractors on notice that the Labor Department is serious about eliminating systemic discrimination.

The agency said that, in addition to the money going to the 539 women, Alltel agreed to hire 22 of them. The news release said that the settlement also calls for the company to immediately correct any discriminatory practices and undertake extensive self-monitoring measurements for two years to ensure that all hiring practices fully comply with the law.
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