Lund, Brunswick face sex discrimination charges
December 2, 2011
Filed under News
WASHINGTON – In a complaint filed by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, Brunswick Corp. and Lund Boat Co. are accused of systematic discrimination of more than 200 women who applied for entry-level positions at the Lund manufacturing plant in New York Mills, Minn.
The suit, “OFCCP v. Lund Boat Co. and Brunswick Corp.,” claims that the boat manufacturer did not give all applications equal consideration for employment as required by law. If found guilty of the charges laid out in the complaint, Brunswick and Lund would be required to pay financial compensation including lost wages, benefits and interest to all of the women affected.
In addition, the Department of Labor agency is asking that jobs are offered to at least 27 of the women affected by the discriminatory practices, claiming that a particular preference was extended to men who applied, even if they were similarly qualified.
In addition, the complaint seeks to penalize the company by canceling its government contracts. Brunswick current holds federal contracts worth $23 million, according to the Department of Labor.
When asked what the outcome of the case could mean to Lund and other Brunswick dealers, the company declined to comment on the pending litigation.
“Representatives from Lund have argued that women were less likely to be hired than men because of a preference for workers with manufacturing experience,” said Solicitor of Labor M. Patricia Smith in a release from the Department of Labor. “However, OFCCP’s investigation found that even women with this type of experience were less likely to be hired than men without it. That’s not fair. It’s not right. And it’s against the law.”
According to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, the government attempted several times to get Brunswick to voluntarily comply with the government’s hiring rules in its Lund division.
“Brunswick’s Chairman and CEO, Dustan McCoy, has stated a commitment to acting ethically,” OFCCP Director Patricia A. Shiu said. “By his own words, ‘Acting ethically simply means that we do what is right in all situations.’ So, we ask him now to do what is right for the women who sought a fair shot at employment with his company and for the taxpayers to know that their money is never used to discriminate.”
Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Vietnam Era Veteran’s Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974, which Brunswick and Lund are accused of violating, requires that all companies that do business with the federal government follow the fair and reasonable standard that they do not discriminate in employment on the basis of sex, race, color, religion, national origin, disability or status as a protected veteran.
