OFCCP Sues B&H For Alleged Discrimination

Last week, the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs ("OFCCP") filed an administrative lawsuit against B&H Foto & Electronics Corporation ("B&H"), a major New York-based electronics retailer, alleging systematic discrimination against Hispanic, black, female, and Asian employees.

Following a two-year compliance review, OFCCP's complaint accuses B&H of (1) exclusively hiring Hispanic men into its entry-level laborer job group (at the expense of female, black, and Asian applicants); (2) promoting and compensating Hispanic workers at a significantly lower rate than their Caucasian peers; and (3) subjecting Hispanic employees to "racist remarks, degrading comments and harassment." The complaint also alleges that B&H failed to provide designated changing rooms for women, forced Hispanic workers at its Brooklyn Navy Yard warehouse to use separate and filthy restrooms, and failed to keep and preserve required personnel and employment