Ross Dress For Less stores have settled a case in which the company was accused of using discriminatory hiring practices against non-U.S. citizens.
The Department of Justice investigated the company after a woman said a Ross store in the San Diego community of San Ysidro – near the U.S.-Mexico border – had refused to hire her, even though she had provided proper work authorization forms. The store asked her for more documents before withdrawing its job offer.
The Justice Department said the company systematically discriminated against non-U.S. citizens – who were authorized to work – by demanding more documents from them than from U.S. citizens when verifying their eligibility to work. Federal law requires employers to treat all authorized workers equally.
The company has agreed to pay $17,000 to settle the claims, including more than $6,000 in back pay to the woman who filed the complaint. It will also train employees on non-discrimination policies.
