Steel Firm Agrees to Settle Job Bias Case for $4 Million

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said Monday that it has won an order against a steel company that will provide $4 million in compensation to blacks who were allegedly denied employment over a seven-year period.

Under a consent decree, Temple Steel Co. of Chicago will offer the money to an undetermined number of people who were denied manufacturing jobs and will offer employment to others, the agency said.

In a 1989 suit, the EEOC contended that Temple, which has about 1,000 employees, used recruiting methods that prevented blacks from learning about jobs and failed to hire blacks for positions.

A lawyer for the agency said it was not known how many people will share in the $4 million, which he described as “one of the largest cases we’ve settled recently.” The agency has identified a number of potential claimants and will run newspaper advertisements to find others, he said.