INDIANAPOLIS — The U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs has found that Fastenal Company, North America's leading distributor of fastening products and a federal government contractor, discriminated against 171 job applicants who sought general warehouse positions at two of its distribution facilities in Indianapolis and Atlanta.

ATLANTA — One of the world's largest chicken processors systematically discriminated against qualified African-American applicants seeking entry-level jobs as laborers and operatives at its chicken plant in Marshville, North Carolina, the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs alleges in a lawsuit filed against Pilgrim's Pride Corporation.

LOS ANGELES — For years, women at The Home Depot in Southern California store found themselves funneled into cashier jobs while their male coworkers landed higher-paying sales jobs. As a federal contractor, however, the company is obligated to offer equal opportunities to all job applicants and employees.

WASHINGTON — Ensuring that women earn equal pay for equal work is essential to improving the economic security of our families and the strength of our middle class. In too many workplaces around the country, however, a culture of secrecy keeps women from knowing that they are underpaid, and makes it difficult to enforce equal pay laws.

United Mailing Services agrees to pay $120K in back wages to 251 applicants

MILWAUKEE — The U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs has found that United Mailing Services denied jobs to 251 African Americans who completed job applications for entry-level mail processing jobs at its Brookfield, Wisconsin facility.

AIKEN, S.C. — Savannah River Nuclear Solutions will pay $234,895 and review its personnel policies to resolve allegations of systemic pay discrimination at its site in Aiken. A compliance review by the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs found that the management company for the Savannah River nuclear site discriminated against women in some engineering, technical and administrative positions.

NEW ORLEANS — Hiring choices based on the belief that a person of one race works harder than others are wrong and they are illegal, federal investigators have reminded a Louisiana packaging manufacturer.

In an agreement with the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, La Pac Manufacturing Inc. settled allegations of systemic hiring discrimination against more than 300 applicants at its Crowley facility. The company, a federal contractor, has agreed to pay $235,000 in lost wages.

BALTIMORE — A Baltimore staffing agency for federal contractors allegedly hired Hispanic construction laborers, and then harassed and discriminated against them. It also allowed supervisors of other federal contractors to assault them physically, make racial slurs, and threaten them with deportation. The allegations were made in a lawsuit filed by the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs.

BALTIMORE — A Baltimore staffing agency for federal contractors allegedly hired Hispanic construction laborers, and then harassed and discriminated against them. It also allowed supervisors of other federal contractors to assault them physically, make racial slurs, and threaten them with deportation. The allegations were made in a lawsuit filed by the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs.

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — Oral Arts Laboratory Inc., a dental lab and manufacturer, will pay $115,000 to resolve allegations of systemic hiring discrimination at its Huntsville corporate headquarters. A compliance review by the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs found that the federal contractor discriminated against 83 women and 19 African Americans who were denied dental lab technician positions, as well as 57 men who were rejected for shipping positions.

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — Oral Arts Laboratory Inc., a dental lab and manufacturer, will pay $115,000 to resolve allegations of systemic hiring discrimination at its Huntsville corporate headquarters. A compliance review by the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs found that the federal contractor discriminated against 83 women and 19 African Americans who were denied dental lab technician positions, as well as 57 men who were rejected for shipping positions.

SEATTLE — Comcast Corporation has entered into a conciliation agreement with the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs to resolve allegations of sex and race discrimination.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor has announced a two-week extension of the comment period for its proposed rule governing the obligations of federal contractors and subcontractors not to discriminate on the basis of sex in their employment practices.

BOSTON — Lahey Clinic Hospital, Inc. will pay $190,000 to resolve allegations of systemic pay discrimination at its medical center in Burlington, Massachusetts. A compliance review by the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs found that Lahey Clinic discriminated against 38 female housekeepers by paying the women 70 cents less per hour than their male counterparts.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor today announced a proposal to clarify federal contractors' requirements to prohibit sex discrimination. The recommended changes would revise the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs' guidelines to align with laws, court decisions and societal changes since they were originally issued in 1970.

BALTIMORE — The Applied Physics Laboratory at Johns Hopkins University will pay $359,253 to settle allegations of discrimination made by two African American women who were employed at its Laurel, Md. facility. An investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs determined that the lab violated Executive Order 11246, which prohibits federal contractors from discriminating in employment on the basis of race or sex.

HYRUM, Utah — JBS USA systematically discriminated against qualified female, Caucasian, African American and Native American applicants seeking entry-level jobs at its beef-processing plant in Hyrum, a lawsuit by the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs alleged.

WASHINGTON — A new rule prohibiting discrimination on the bases of sexual orientation and gender identity in the federal contracting workforce is being announced today by the U.S. Department of Labor. The rule implements Executive Order 13672, which was signed by President Obama on July 21.

US Labor Department will extend Equal Pay Report comment period through Jan. 5, 2015

FLORENCE, Ala. — The U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs has entered into an agreement with federal contractor Hillshire Brands Co., formerly Sara Lee Food & Beverage, to resolve claims of systemic hiring discrimination.