The Department of Justice (DOJ) has settled a dispute with General Motors over what it says were discrimination practices against non-US citizens. As a result, General Motors will pay $365,000 in civil penalties but doesn’t have to admit to any wrongdoing. Employees will receive new training surrounding the treatment of non-US workers too.
According to the DOJ, during an investigation, it found that GM “unnecessarily required lawful permanent residents to provide an unexpired foreign passport as a condition of employment, imposing a discriminatory barrier on them in the hiring process.” Unlawful conduct related to the investigation dates back to at least May of 2019. It did not disclose the event that led to the investigation directly.
Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division said that “When employers commit unlawful discrimination, the Civil Rights Division will continue holding them accountable. The Civil Rights Division is issuing a new fact sheet to help educate employers and promote greater compliance with anti-discrimination law going forward.” General Motors is quick to point out that it wasn’t found guilty of discrimination in this case.
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“There was no formal determination that GM engaged in discrimination and we make no admission of wrongdoing, but we welcome this resolution as an opportunity both to avoid litigation and to refine and clarify our internal administrative processes to further improve the employee experience,” a GM spokesperson said in an email to Auto News.
As part of the settlement, GM will pay $365,000 in civil penalties but has to make some internal changes too. That includes training surrounding the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) which is what the entire case surrounds. It’ll also revise its employment policies and subject itself to departmental monitoring and reporting requirements. For example, it can no longer require the presentation of foreign passports as a condition of employment.
The DOJ also highlighted a video that can educate both employers and workers on some of the laws surrounding non-US citizens. We’ve included it below.