A Virginia tech firm, Arthur Grand Technologies, has been fined $7,500 by the Department of Justice (DOJ) for a discriminatory job posting.
The IT services company, headquartered in Ashburn, Virginia, posted an ad in March 2023 for a business analyst position.
The role explicitly stated: “Only US Born Citizens [white] who are local within 60 miles from Dallas, TX [Don’t share with candidates].”
The offensive job posting triggered investigations by the DOJ and the Department of Labor.
The Labor Department’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) initiated its investigation in April 2023.
It was followed by the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division’s Immigrant and Employee Rights Section (IER) in May 2023.
CEO Sheik Rahmathullah said: “Arthur Grand Technologies vehemently denies any guilt or wrongdoing in relation to the discriminatory job posting that appeared in March 2023.
“This unauthorized posting was made by an upset employee on a Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) from their personal email address and account.
“Upon discovering this, we took immediate and decisive action to ensure that this type of incident will never happen again, including the immediate termination of the responsible employee.”
“This unauthorized posting was made by an upset employee on a Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) from their personal email address and account”
The DOJ announced that Arthur Grand Technologies had reached separate agreements with the DOJ and the Labor Department.
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The agreement with the DOJ resolves the agency’s finding the company violated the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) by posting a discriminatory job advertisement.
This led to it being fined.
Assistant Attorney General of the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division, Kristin Clarke, said: “It is shameful that in the 21st century, we continue to see employers using ‘Whites only’ and ‘only US born’ job postings to lock out otherwise eligible job candidates of color.
“The Justice Department, working with other government agencies, will continue to hold employers accountable when they violate our nation’s federal civil rights laws.”
As part of the DOJ agreement, Arthur Grand Technologies will train its personnel on INA requirements, revise its employment policies, and be subject to departmental monitoring.
The Labor Department’s agreement also requires the company to compensate individuals who filed complaints with the OFCCP.
