Apple Pays Up: No More Discrimination Against US Workers!

In order to resolve a Department of Justice case accusing Apple Inc. of unlawfully discriminating against American job applicants, the iPhone manufacturer has agreed to pay a settlement amount of $25 million.

The department said in a statement Thursday that Apple showed bias against U.S. workers as part of recruiting for PERM, the Permanent Workforce Certification Program. The Cupertino, California-based tech giant failed to advertise such jobs on its website and made it difficult for employees to apply for jobs, the DOJ said.

According to the department, Apple required job seekers to apply on paper and did not allow electronic applications, as it does for other open positions. That made it difficult to hire people from outside the PERM program, the department said.

The PERM program is designed to allow companies to sponsor foreign workers for permanent resident status, but stipulates that employers cannot show bias against applicants who may be citizens or already authorized to work in the United States.

According to the department, Apple’s approach “almost always resulted in few or no applications for PERM positions” from such applicants. The $25 million settlement includes $18.25 million in restitution to those discriminated against and $6.75 million in penalties.

“Creating illegal barriers that make it harder for someone to find a job because of their citizenship will not be tolerated,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the department’s civil rights division.

Apple said that “once we realized that we had inadvertently failed to comply with the DOJ standard, we agreed to address their concerns.” The company added that it “implemented a robust remediation plan to meet the requirements of various government agencies as we continue to hire American workers and grow in the United States.”

According to the company, ninety percent of Apple’s positions in the United States are filled by American workers.