 NEWSPAPER SETTLES CLAIM OF DISCRIMINATION AGAINST IMMIGRANTS
One of the nation's best-known newspapers, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, has agreed to a settlement with the Department of Justice following an investigation into its employment verification process. Under the terms of the settlement, the paper hired two workers it wrongfully refused to hire, gave them a total of ,996 in back pay, and paid ,925 in fines.
A complaint filed with the Justice Department last November by a naturalized US citizen who said that she was told she would have to present either a US passport or certificate of naturalization before the Journal-Constitution would hire her. She gave them a driver's license and social security card, which, under the law, is sufficient evidence of authorization to work. While most employers are aware of liability they face for not asking for documentation during the I-9 process, many do not know that they can also can be fined for "document abuse," the practice of seeking more documentation than the law requires.
The paper was very cooperative with the investigation, and even brought to the attention of the Justice Department the case of a second employee who was denied a job because she did not present documentation specified by the paper.
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