CHICAGO (AP) — Officials at the Illinois Department of Human Rights say the recent resolution of two sex bias lawsuits will result in the immediate hiring of women into Illinois coal production jobs.
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission announced last month a $4.25 million settlement with a group of affiliated coal mining companies. The agreement includes hiring goals and resolves claims of practices that kept women out of underground mine work and related positions.
St. Louis-based Foresight Energy LP has confirmed the settlement and that it did not admit liability. The company says it “remains an equal opportunity employer.”
The Illinois Department of Human Rights assisted with the investigation. Department Director Janice Glenn describes the settlement as “a major victory for gender equality in a historically male-dominated profession.”