For unlawfully discriminating against American workers in favour of foreign H-1B visa holders, the U.S. Department of Justice has penalised California-based tech recruiting firm Epik Solutions.
U.S. Justice Department Addresses Discriminating In Favour of H-1B visa Workers
The event has marked the first settlement under the revived “Protecting US Workers Initiative,”.
It appears to be a federal initiative which is aimed at ensuring fair employment opportunities for U.S. citizens.
According to a recent investigation, the Epik Solutions violated the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) by publishing job advertisements that explicitly excluded U.S. citizens and prioritized foreign workers on H-1B visas.
The company’s actions were found to be in direct violation of federal employment laws, which prohibit discrimination based on nationality in job hiring.
As part of the settlement, Epik Solutions has agreed to a civil penalty of $71,916, payable to the U.S. government. Additionally, the company must revise its hiring and recruitment practices, undergo compliance training, and cease placing discriminatory job ads that exclude U.S. workers.
Protecting American Workers Is A Top Priority
“Protecting American workers from unlawful discrimination in favor of foreign visa workers is a top priority of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. The days of the federal government looking the other way on American workforce protection are over, ” noted by the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights, Harmeet K. Dhillon who has emphasised the importance of this enforcement action.
The settlement with Epik Solutions signals a renewed commitment by the federal government to uphold fair labor practices and prevent the unfair exclusion of American workers from employment opportunities.
The Department of Justice’s “Protecting US Workers Initiative” was relaunched to hold employers accountable for discriminatory practices that favor foreign workers over U.S. citizens.
Epik Solution is the next generation digital and workforce transformation company built on a simple premise of helping you simplify and grow your business, according to its website.
Basically, the firm has 150+ digital marketing, development & workforce management resources.
The company’s basic services include, website development, mobile application, inbound marketing, search engine optimization, social media marketing/optimization, ad words management, email marketing, reputation management.
