Celebrating Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month
On behalf of all of us at The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs we would like to wish you a happy Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AA and NHPI) Heritage Month. This month is an opportunity to celebrate and honor the contributions Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (AA and NHPIs) make to our country. At OFCCP, we are passionate about building workplaces that ensure all Americans have an equal opportunity to contribute to the success of our communities.
In his Proclamation on Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, President Biden stated:
“During Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, our Nation celebrates the diversity of cultures, breadth of achievement, and remarkable contributions of these communities; of brave immigrants who, motivated by the promise of possibilities, picked up their lives and found new homes here; of native peoples who have stewarded these lands since time immemorial; and of community leaders shaping a brighter future for us all. Throughout our history, they have represented the bigger story of who we are as Americans and embodied the truth that our diversity is our strength as a Nation.”
This year, the Biden-Harris Administration launched the first-ever National Strategy to Advance Equity, Justice, and Opportunity for Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Communities. The new strategy is comprised of action plans prepared by 32 federal agencies, building on the Administration’s agenda to invest in AA and NHPI communities and priorities, including improving language access, disaggregating data, and combatting anti-Asian hate.
Our agency is playing a key role in advancing equity for AA and NHPI communities. OFCCP's mission is eliminating workplace discrimination based on race and national origin and enforcing equal opportunity and affirmative action by federal contractors and subcontractors. In FY 22 and FY 23, OFCCP recovered more than $769,000 for over 800 AA and NHPI workers who we found to have experienced workplace discrimination. Notable resolutions achieved by us on behalf of AA and NHPI workers include:
- In September 2022, OFCCP entered into a conciliation agreement with Gaylord Opryland to resolve allegations of discrimination against 250 Black, Asian and female applicants for housekeeping positions during a two-year period. Gaylord Opryland agreed to pay $630,722 in back wages, interest, and agreed to take steps to ensure its selection process, personnel practices and hiring policies are free from discrimination, and that its recordkeeping methods meet legal requirements. Under the agreement, Gaylord agreed to also make job offers to 49 affected applicants as positions become available.
- In August 2022, OFCCP entered into a conciliation agreement with Cerner Corp., a health care and information technology company, to resolve preliminary findings of a federal compliance evaluation that alleged the company discriminated in hiring Black and Asian applicants between 2015 to 2019. A compliance evaluation found that the employer systemically discriminated against qualified Black and Asian applicants who applied for positions to work at five facilities in Missouri and Kansas. Cerner Corp entered an early resolution to resolve the allegations voluntarily and agreed to pay $1,860,000 in back pay and interest to 1,870 applicants who sought employment as medical billing account/patient account specialists, system engineers, software interns and technical solution analysts.
We will continue working to advance equal opportunity for AA and NHIP communities in the workplace. OFCCP is committed to better understanding and addressing the barriers facing AA and NHPI workers, and to ensuring federal contractors and subcontractors advance equality and opportunity for all.
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