Ford settlement gets initial nod in Racial Discrimination Case

A federal judge in Cincinnati has given preliminary approval to the proposed settlement of a class-action race discrimination complaint involving Ford Motor Co.'s apprenticeship program. The ruling by Senior U.S. District Judge S. Arthur Spiegel brings the auto maker and 11 African-American plaintiffs one step closer to a deal that calls for Ford to pay $8.5 million in redress, set aside apprenticeships for 279 black applicants and rewrite the program's method of admission. Ford also would pay $1.7 million in legal fees. Spiegel ordered that notices be sent to the roughly 3,400 people nationwide who were tested but denied admission into Ford apprenticeships since Jan. 1, 1997. He will conduct a fairness hearing June 1 before issuing a final ruling on the settlement. The lawsuit was filed Dec. 27 by 11 current and former employees of the Ford transmission plant in Sharonville. They contended that the paper-and-pencil apprenticeship exam - a prerequisite to training for higher-paying skilled jobs - discriminated against African-Americans. Ford denied the program was biased but settled anyway. Under the settlement, the 11 plaintiffs and two others who had filed complaints to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission will receive $30,000 each. The remaining class members will receive $2,400 each. The apprenticeship program allows unskilled laborers in Ford plants to learn skills for higher paying jobs including electricians and millwrights. That can result in better job security and improved opportunities for promotion, lawyers representing the plaintiffs said.The Cincinnati Enquirer February 11, 2005 and [more]