Federal contractor Deere & Co. resolves alleged hiring discrimination, pays $1.1M in back wages, interest to affected Black, Hispanic jobseekers

MOLINE, IL – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs has entered into a conciliation agreement with Deere & Co. to resolve alleged systemic hiring discrimination affecting Black and Hispanic applicants at three of the global agricultural, construction and forestry equipment manufacturer’s production facilities in Illinois and Iowa.

The agreement follows routine compliance evaluations by OFCCP that found hiring disparities at the company’s facilities in Milan, Illinois, and Ankeny and Waterloo, Iowa. 

Preliminary findings alleged discrimination against 33 Black and 12 Hispanic applicants for warehouse positions in Milan; 36 Black applicants for assembler positions in Ankeny; and against 196 Black applicants for production positions in Waterloo. Executive Order 11246 prohibits federal contractors from discriminating in employment based on race, sex, color, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or national origin. 

To resolve the allegations, Deere & Co. will pay $1,105,000 in back wages and interest to affected job applicants and provide 53 job offers to eligible class members. As part of the agreement, the Moline-based company will also evaluate its personnel practices, including its recordkeeping and internal auditing procedures. 

“Over the past 58 years, the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs has helped define and defend equal employment opportunity in the American workplace. We are committed to tackling employment policies and practices that create barriers to opportunity and perpetuate inequality,” said Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs Acting Director Michele Hodge. “Companies that accept federal contracts must monitor their hiring processes to ensure applicants are not rejected based on unlawful practices.” 

Deere & Co. is a contractor for federal agencies, including the departments of Agriculture, the Army, the Interior and Transportation as well as the Defense Logistics Agency and the U.S. Forest Service.

“The U.S. Department of Labor is committed to protecting America’s jobseekers from employment discrimination,” said Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs Midwest Regional Director Carmen Navarro. “The settlement reached with Deere & Co. resolves the hiring discrimination uncovered by OFCCP and ensures actions will be taken to correct and prevent a recurrence of discrimination.”

OFCCP launched the Class Member Locator to identify applicants or workers who may be entitled to monetary relief and/or consideration for job placement as a result of compliance evaluations and complaint investigations. If you think you may be a class member who applied for positions with Deere & Co. please use OFCCP’s Class Member Locator to learn more about this and other settlements.

In addition to Executive Order 11246, OFCCP enforces Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974. Together, these laws prohibit employment discrimination.

Learn more about OFCCP.