From NorthStar News and our content partner, New America Media:

A United States Department of Labor Administrative Law Judge has ordered Bank of America to pay $2.2 million in back wages to more than 1,100 African Americans who were rejected for jobs. The ruling ends a nearly two-decades old legal dispute.

Judge Linda S. Chapman ordered the Charlotte-based megabank to pay $964,033 to 1,034 applicants who were rejected for jobs in 1993. Bank officials also were ordered to pay approximately $1.3 million to individuals who were rejected for jobs between 2002 and 2008.

Judge Chapman issued her ruling after determining that bank officials applied unfair and inconsistent selection criteria resulting in the rejection of African Americans for jobs as tellers, entry-level clerical and administrative positions.

Bank officials also repeatedly challenged the authority of the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP). The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency regulates of BofA, a national bank based in Charlotte, N.C.

Bank of America is a federally insured financial institution that provides a variety of services and products, making it a federal contractor under the purview of OFCCP's regulatory requirements.

The OFCCP began a routine investigation of BofA that revealed indications of systemic hiring discrimination affecting black job applicants at the bank's Charlotte facility.

After conciliation efforts failed, the Solicitor of Labor in 1997 filed an administrative complaint against the bank for violating Executive Order 11246, which prohibits federal contractors from discriminating in employment practices on the basis of race.

"Our investigators and attorneys prevailed despite decades of stalling tactics," said Solicitor of Labor Patricia Smith. "This case demonstrates that the department will not be deterred in our pursuit of justice for job seekers."

NorthStar News