Feds accuse Tyson unit of gender bias

JOSLIN, Ill. - The Labor Department is accusing a subsidiary a poultry giant with a huge processing plant in Cumming of gender discrimination in its hiring practices at an Illinois plant.

An administrative complaint against Tyson Fresh Meats was filed Wednesday. It accuses the world's biggest supplier of premium beef and pork of systematically rejecting 750 female job applicants for entry-level work at its Joslin site.

An executive with Springdale, Ark.-based Tyson, Ken Kimbro, said the company believes there were ``legitimate, nondiscriminatory reasons certain applicants were not hired''

The Labor Department wants a court to order back wages for the affected applicants and employment to more than 100 of the women. The complaint also requests that all of Tyson's federal contracts be canceled.

http://accesswdun.com/article/2010/9/232283