ST. LOUIS — The U.S. Department of Labor on Wednesday accused a Tyson Foods Inc. subsidiary of discriminating against women in its hirings at an Illinois plant and is trying to halt all federal contracts with the company until the alleged violations are remedied.
The department filed an administrative complaint accusing the world's biggest supplier of premium beef and pork of systematically rejecting 750 female job applicants for entry-level work at its meatpacking plant in Joslin, Ill.
The Labor Department wants a court order of back wages for the affected applicants and employment to more than 100 women. The complaint also requests that all of Tyson Fresh Meat's federal contracts be canceled and the subsidiary barred from such deals until the alleged violations are resolved.
An executive order bars federal contractors such as the Tyson holding from gender discrimination when hiring.
According to the complaint, Tyson had a government contract or subcontract of at least $50,000, though an exact figure was not specified.
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