Deere & Co., commonly known as John Deere, has agreed to pay $1.1 million to settle allegations of racial discrimination against Black and Hispanic applicants at three of its production facilities in Illinois and Iowa. The U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs conducted routine evaluations in 2021 and 2022, revealing hiring disparities at Deere’s Milan, Illinois, and Ankeny and Waterloo, Iowa, facilities.
The settlement requires Deere to pay back wages and interest to 277 affected individuals who applied for warehouse, assembly, and production positions. This agreement marks the largest settlement related to workplace discrimination publicized by the Labor Department in the current year.
According to the conciliatory agreement between Deere and the Labor Department, significant statistical differences were found in the hiring rates of Black and Hispanic applicants across the evaluated sites. These disparities were noted from as early as June 2019 at the Ankeny facility to as late as December 31, 2021, at the Milan facility.
In addition to financial restitution, Deere will extend 53 job offers to eligible members of the affected class and undertake a review of its personnel practices, including enhancements to recordkeeping and internal auditing procedures. The company’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion in its hiring and talent practices was reiterated by Jen Hartmann, Deere’s Director of Public Relations, who emphasized their dedication to being an equal opportunity employer.
Deere’s settlement follows similar resolutions reached by the Labor Department with other federal contractors facing discrimination allegations this year, such as Caterpillar and GE Aerospace. These settlements underscore ongoing efforts by the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs to address discrimination among federal contractors, with total agreements amounting to $2.7 million so far in 2024.