NC company asked worker for green card during hiring process. Now it must pay a fine
A North Carolina printing company asked too many questions. Now, it must pay more than $30,000 to right its wrongful discrimination practices, the U.S. Department of Justice said after reaching a settlement Tuesday.
Printful, a printing and fulfillment company founded in 2013 with fulfillment centers in Charlotte, skewed its hiring process and violated discrimination law by demanding a “green card” from a recently hired employee who had already proved her permission to work by submitting a Social Security card and driver’s license.
“Companies cannot reject workers’ valid documents or require specific or unnecessary documents based on citizenship status when checking their permission to work,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.
By requiring non-U.S. citizens to present specific documents to prove their permission to work, Printful effectively implemented its own “discriminatory policy,” the Justice Department said in a news release Tuesday.
It must pay a civil penalty of $27,500 to the U.S. Treasury and an additional $6,200 in back pay and lost wages to the employee. It must also retrain its Human Resources employees and provide a link to the Civil Rights Division’s Immigrant and Employee’s Rights Poster, according to the settlement.
The poster, which reads “If you have the right to work, don’t let anyone take it away,” directs applicants to call 1-800-255-7688 if an employer:
- Does not hire you or fires you because of your national origin or citizenship status
- Treats you unfairly while checking your right to work in the U.S., including while completing the Form I-9 or using E-Verify
- Retaliates against you because you are speaking up for your right to work as protected by this law.
“The Justice Department will continue to hold accountable employers who run afoul of our nation’s civil rights laws,” Clarke said.
