Labor Department Agency Collects Record $27M in Bias Settlements

The Labor Department collected more than $27 million from federal contractors like Goldman Sachs, Dell, and Bank of America in fiscal year 2019 workplace discrimination settlements—a new record for the agency.

Settlement totals, which include back pay and interest for job applicants and workers, jumped by more than 65% compared to the previous fiscal year’s $16 million, according to a Bloomberg Law analysis. The prior high for the DOL’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs was almost $24 million in fiscal 2017.

The latest sum is “significant,” said Laura Mitchell, a Jackson Lewis attorney who represents federal contractors. It ...