Qualcomm’s Private Settlement of Pay Bias Claim Enough for DOL

Qualcomm Inc. agreed to resolve Labor Department sex discrimination in pay allegations by tying the administrative settlement to a private $19.5 million class action settlement negotiated last year, according to agency documents published April 11.

It’s unusual for conciliation agreements between a government contractor and the DOL’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs to be connected to an earlier private settlement, a former OFCCP official and a management attorney told Bloomberg BNA. Neither are involved in the Qualcomm settlement.

“It is not unprecedented to have a private class lawsuit covering similar individuals or conduct as an OFCCP ...