3/1/2021 4:05:58 PM
The Minnesota Department of Human Rights today announced a settlement agreement with Villaume Industries in Eagan after learning the wood products manufacturer had a practice of refusing to hire women.
“This settlement agreement helps bring attention to how women continue to face both explicit and implicit discrimination in the workplace. As the state’s civil rights enforcement agency, we are committed to ensuring every woman can live with dignity and joy, free from discrimination," said Minnesota Department of Human Rights Commissioner Rebecca Lucero.
On November 14, 2019, the Minnesota Department of Human Rights launched an investigation into Villaume Industries after finding they refused to accept women applicants from an employment placement agency as part of a separate investigation.
Under the Minnesota Human Rights Act, sex discrimination is prohibited, and employers cannot refuse to hire someone because of their sex.
The settlement agreement ends the ongoing investigation and seeks to transform the company’s hiring practices by requiring Villaume Industries, in part, to:
“We are pleased we were able to reach an agreement with Villaume Industries and are encouraged by how the company will begin to change its hiring practices,” Commissioner Lucero concluded.