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Exclusive: U.S. agency probes Facebook for 'systemic' racial bias in hiring, promotions

Published 03/05/2021, 07:10 PM
Updated 03/06/2021, 06:45 AM
© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: A 3D-printed Facebook logo is seen placed on a keyboard in this illustration

© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: A 3D-printed Facebook logo is seen placed on a keyboard in this illustration

By Paresh Dave

(Reuters) - A U.S. agency investigating Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) for racial bias in hiring and promotions has designated the probe as "systemic," attorneys for three job applicants and a manager who claim the company discriminated against them told Reuters on Friday.

A "systemic" probe means the agency, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, suspects company policies may be contributing to widespread discrimination.

The EEOC typically resolves disputes through mediation or allowing complainants to sue employers. But agency officials designate a few cases "systemic," enabling investigators to rope in specialists to analyze company data and potentially bring a broader lawsuit representing entire classes of workers.

Facebook operations program manager Oscar Veneszee Jr. and two applicants denied jobs brought a charge last July to the EEOC, and a third rejected applicant joined the case in December. They have alleged Facebook discriminates against Black candidates and employees by relying on subjective evaluations and promoting problematic racial stereotypes.

The designation of the EEOC's probe has not been previously reported.

The EEOC has not brought allegations against Facebook. Its investigation, which may last months more, may not result in findings of wrongdoing. The agency declined to comment.

Facebook spokesman Andy Stone declined to comment on the status of the probe or specific allegations but said that "it is essential to provide all employees with a respectful and safe working environment."

"We take any allegations of discrimination seriously and investigate every case," he said.

The EEOC brought in systemic investigators by last August and received detailed briefing papers from both sides over the last four months, said Peter Romer-Friedman, an attorney at Gupta Wessler representing Veneszee and the job candidates.

Employment law firms Mehri & Skalet and Katz Marshall & Banks also are helping the workers.

The EEOC's Baltimore, Pittsburgh and Washington offices are involved, attorneys from the firms said.

Facebook's counsel, Covington & Burling, did not respond to a request for comment.

Increasing racial and gender diversity has been a persistent challenge for the nation's largest tech companies, which at times have blamed a shortage of qualified candidates from underrepresented groups. But tech workers have grown emboldened to publicly challenge that notion and allege in formal complaints that biased employment practices cause disparities.

Romer-Friedman said he and his colleagues told the EEOC in a submission last month that one such Facebook policy is awarding employees bonuses of up to $5,000 when a candidate they refer is hired. Referred candidates tend to reflect the makeup of existing employees, disadvantaging Black professionals, he said.

Facebook said about 3.9% of its U.S. employees as of last June were Black.

David Lopez, a former EEOC general counsel now teaching at Rutgers University, said that systemic investigations are significant because of the additional resources involved. When they result in allegations of wrongdoing, multimillion-dollar settlements sometimes follow, he said, citing recent cases against Dollar General Corp (NYSE:DG) and Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Inc.

In the year ended last Sept. 30, 13 of the 93 EEOC merit lawsuits were systemic, according to agency data.

Last December, the Justice Department accused Facebook of discriminating against U.S. workers broadly, saying it gave hiring preference to temporary workers such as H-1B visa holders.

© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: A 3D-printed Facebook logo is seen placed on a keyboard in this illustration

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL) Inc's Google last month agreed to spend $3.8 million to settle U.S. government allegations that it underpaid women and unfairly passed over women and Asians for job openings.

Latest comments

Here is the un-written law. Companies have to have about 10% of their employees black( ie around pop percentage). Otherwise it is ‘systemic’ racist. The gov believe the same pop percentage apply to all companies at all level.
Should Amazon warehouses hire more whites and asians since majority of workers are black?
Absurd lawsuits. Companies should choose the makeup of their workforce, and consumers or candidates can choose to avoid them.Few blacks meet the high standards of the tech companies looking for top performers.
Convoluted reasoning. Hypocitically, law firms consistently go after huge, deep pocket companies as well. They practice discrimination motivated for the larger payouts from these pursuits. It is always about money.
Ouch
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