The U.S. Department of Labor has reached a conciliation agreement with Navient Corp. to address alleged hiring discrimination
Navient Corp., headquartered in Wilmington, manages student loans for the U.S. Department of Education
The current student loan contract between Navient Corp. and the Department of Education will conclude in December 2023
The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs conducted a compliance review that uncovered hiring discrimination at Navient facilities in Indiana, Pennsylvania, and Texas
Between 2017 and 2021, Navient was found to have discriminated against 427 Black applicants for customer service positions in Indiana and Pennsylvania
The review also identified alleged hiring discrimination against 1,858 Black and white applicants seeking clerical positions in Austin, Texas
Navient's actions violated Executive Order 11246, which prohibits federal contractors from making employment decisions based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or national origin
As part of the resolution, Navient Corp. has agreed to pay $700,000 in back wages and interest
The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs is committed to preventing hiring discrimination and holding federal contractors accountable for compliance with the law