Earlier this week, the Department of Justice announced that it has reached an agreement with the SK Food Group, Inc, regarding allegations that the company had required immigrant workers to provide more documentation of their ability to work than the law required.
U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services ("USCIS") had referred the case to the DOJ after finding that SK Food required work-authorized non-U.S. citizens to provide specific work authorization documents without making similar requests to U.S. citizens. The Immigration & Nationality Act prohibits such unfair and discriminatory practices.
As part of the settlement, SK Food agreed to pay $40,500 in civil penalties to the DOJ, to provide back pay to workers who lost wages due to the discriminatory documentary practices, to undergo training on how to not violate the INA's anti-discrimination policies and to be subject to monitoring of its I-9 employment verification process for one year. A copy of the settlement appears here.
The I-9 employment verification process is a sometimes murky, complicated process. If you have questions about the I-9 process or would like assistance in auditing your I-9 forms, feel free to give us a call at (314) 961-8200.
