The U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) had earlier accused the Massachusetts-based company of violating federal affirmative action requirements.
According to the OFCCP, in May 2009, Tufts agreed to hire minority workers as customer service representatives to settle a finding that its hiring practices discriminated against minorities. Less than a year after that agreement, one of the workers complained to the OFCCP that he had been terminated due to his race and retaliated against due to his status as a member of a protected class. The worker claimed that minorities recruited under the OFCCP-mandated affirmative action program were segregated from other employees and had to abide by tougher standards during training. After an investigation, the office found that Tufts had retaliated against 12 class members.