NORC at the University of Chicago has agreed to pay $95,000 to 107 Asian adults who applied as COVID-19 contact tracers in the early months of the pandemic as part of a settlement agreement, the Department of Labor announced on Oct. 2.
What happened: The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) alleged that NORC discriminated against 107 Asian adults applying for a job as COVID-19 contact tracers in Maryland and Delaware. DOL noted in a press release that the alleged hiring discrimination claim occurred between May 2020 and August 2021.
The organization, which is affiliated with the University of Chicago and was previously known as the National Opinion Research Center, partnered with the government of Maryland and Delaware to provide contact tracing services in April 2020 and May 2020, respectively.
What they found: In the settlement agreement dated Sept. 29, the OFCCP noted that it had found “statistically significant differences in the hiring rates” of Asian and Hispanic applicants for the Contact Tracing position during the period of Aug. 10, 2019, to Aug. 9, 2021. The OFCCP said that only 12 Asians were hired during that period.
A violation: The OFCCP stated that NORC had violated Executive Order 11246, which prohibits federal contractors from discriminating in employment decisions on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or national origin.
What they are saying: In a statement reported by The Chicago Maroon, NORC explained that it hired “a wide range of candidates with a need for a significant number of Spanish-speaking interviewers.” The decision purportedly resulted in the organization hiring more Hispanic applicants than Asian applicants.
The Chicago-based organization added that while “denying all allegations of discrimination,” NORC decided to settle the discrimination claim “rather than continuing to contest the matter as it has been in deliberation for over two years.”
“NORC…
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