(NewsReady.com) – Apple is an American company that was founded in California. However, the Department of Justice (DOJ) alleged the company did not like to actually hire Americans. Now, Apple has reportedly reached a settlement over the allegations.
On November 9, the DOJ announced it had settled with Apple in a deal worth $25 million. The company agreed to the sum to resolve allegations that it had illegally discriminated against American workers and non-citizens who were permitted to live and work in the US. The company will now pay for “backpay and civil penalties.”
According to the press release, the DOJ accused the company of violating the Immigration and Nationality Act’s (INA) anti-discrimination policies while recruiting for positions that fell under the Permanent Labor Certification Program (PERM). That program permits companies to sponsor workers from other countries for lawful permanent resident status, otherwise known as becoming green card holders, after they complete other requirements under the program.
In 2019, the DOJ began investigating after receiving reports that Apple was engaging in discrimination practices against American citizens for positions it used PERM to fill. The department alleges the company’s recruiting practices discourage Americans from applying for the positions, and instead, they used the PERM program to fill the jobs. For example, it never advertised for those positions. It also required PERM applicants to apply for the jobs on a paper application they had to mail to the company, even though it had an electronic system to accept applications for other positions.
Apple denied any wrongdoing. The Associated Press reported that the company said it employs tens of thousands of people in the US “and continues to invest nationwide, creating millions of jobs.” However, it realized it was not following the DOJ’s guidelines when using the PERM program to fill positions, so it “agreed to a settlement addressing their concerns.”
In addition to the monetary settlement, Apple has to change its recruitment practices for positions it wants to fill through the PERM program.
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