Higher and higher: OFCCP wins record annual number of financial remedies for more...

Higher and higher: OFCCP wins record annual number of financial remedies for
more American workers than ever before

24,508 workers receive $67.5 million for discrimination, a 133 percent
increase since 2001

WASHINGTON, Jan. 5 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In fiscal year (FY) 2008, the
U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs
(OFCCP) won a record $67,510,982 in back pay, salary and benefits for an
unprecedented 24,508 American workers who had been subjected to unlawful
employment discrimination.

Ninety-nine percent of dollars were collected in cases of systemic
discrimination --- those involving a significant number of workers or
applicants subjected to discrimination because of an unlawful employment
practice or policy. The more than $67.5 million reflects a 133 percent
increase over financial remedies obtained in FY 2001.

The last eight years of OFCCP enforcement data show a 14 percent increase in
the total number of compliance reviews completed versus a similar period in
the prior administration. More importantly, OFCCP's more strategic approach
resulted in a 92 percent increase in the number of job applicants and
employees (113,630) who financially benefited from OFCCP investigations and
over $50 million in additional back pay salary and benefits versus the prior
administration.

"We are proud of these results which demonstrate our commitment to enforcing
the law," said Charles James, deputy assistant secretary for the Office of
Federal Contract Compliance Programs. "This is our fourth consecutive
record-breaking year in the categories of workers helped and amounts
recovered. Of all the changes of these eight years, the focus on systemic
discrimination is by far the most significant for the mission of the agency."

OFCCP enforces Executive Order 11246, Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of
1973 and the Vietnam Era Veterans' Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974, as
amended. These laws prohibit federal contractors and subcontractors from
discriminating in employment based on race, gender, color, religion, national
origin, disability or covered veteran status.

Effective Initiatives
OFCCP's initiatives of the last several years have made it a more effective
and efficient civil rights enforcement agency. Compared with years past, OFCCP
now more quickly and accurately screens contractor establishments for
indicators of potential discrimination with its Active Case Management (ACM)
system. Under ACM, which was fully implemented in each of OFCCP's regions in
FY 2005, the agency opens more reviews than it did in the past, and the agency
uses automated statistical tools to rank and prioritize establishments for
further review based on the probability that discrimination would be uncovered
during a full-scale review.

OFCCP is using ACM to identify and resolve cases of systemic discrimination
with greater frequency. OFCCP is monitoring a larger portion of the federal
contractor universe than it has in the past, and it is prioritizing its
resources to address the worst offenders.

Since its inception, OFCCP has generally relied on contractor voluntary
self-identification to determine companies over which OFCCP has jurisdiction.
In FY 2005, OFCCP implemented the Contracts First project to produce a
contractor selection list that is based on evidence of actual contracts. This
initiative inserts information about contract awards into the database used
for selection and scheduling of reviews at facilities. Additionally, the
selection system is enhanced by access to an OFCCP database of facilities
where no compliance reviews have been conducted in recent years.

Compliance Assistance Works
OFCCP also has continued to build upon its comprehensive compliance assistance
program, conducting about one thousand compliance assistance events in each of
the last five years. Compliance assistance outreach helps employers prevent
unlawful discrimination in their workplaces by providing them with the
information necessary to effectively monitor their workplaces for equal
employment opportunity.

A fact sheet with additional information about OFCCP's enforcement results is
available on its Web site at www.dol.gov/esa/ofccp.

SOURCE U.S. Department of Labor

Loren Smith or Dolline Hatchett, both of the U.S. Department of Labor,
+1-202-693-4676