Sportswear manufacturer BSN Sports LLC Indianapolis will pay $600,000 in back pay and interest to more than 3,000 job applicants at its Indianapolis production facility as part an agreement with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) to resolve alleged hiring discrimination.
During a routine compliance evaluation, OFCCP said it found that BSN Sports discriminated against 1,880 Black, 1,188 white and 219 male applicants for general production positions such as picking, shipping and receiving, packing, production support, embroidery, digital fusion and screen print, who were not hired. OFCCP found that the federal contractor also discriminated against 311 male applicants for production artist positions, who were not hired.
“BSN Sports is working cooperatively with the U.S. Department of Labor to improve its compliance with federal law by resolving allegations of discriminatory hiring and agreeing to implement proactive measures in the hiring of applicants to production positions,” said Carmen Navarro, regional director for the Midwest region office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs. “We appreciate this employer’s work toward reaching an agreement that will improve its training, policies and procedures.”
In addition to the distribution of back pay and interest under the agreement, BSN Sports will ensure that its hiring policies and procedures are free from discrimination. The contractor will also provide job opportunities to 56 Black, 55 white and nine male applicants in general production positions and four male applicants in production artist positions. The company also agreed to provide training to all managers, supervisors and other company officials who oversee hiring decisions.
BSN Sports LLC Indianapolis–a subsidiary of BSN Sports LLC of Texas– does not admit liability and denies OFCCP’s allegations. The company, an international sports equipment and apparel provider, has contracts for services with the U.S. Air Force and other government agencies.