CHICAGO — Omnicare of Northern Illinois has settled charges by the U.S. Department of Labor that the company paid it Asian pharmacy technicians less than their coworkers who were not of Asian heritage.
According to the Labor Department, Omnicare will pay $300,000 in back pay and interest. The charges were brought about after one of the department's Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) routine investigations. The investigation found Omnicare practiced pay discrimination against 132 Asians employed as pharmacy technicians, according to the department.
"Employers should review their compensation processes to ensure that their employees do not suffer from discriminatory practices," said OFCCP Chicago acting regional director Carmen Navarro in a statement. "This settlement demonstrates the U.S. Department of Labor's commitment to combating pay discrimination and holding companies with federal contracts accountable if they fail to ensure equal employment opportunity."
Omnicare also will review its employee compensation practices and make any adjustments needed as well as provide equal opportunity employment training for its employees, according to the Labor Department.