"No such thing as a 'man's job'"

You may not have heard of the company Green Bay Dressed Beef, but if you’ve ever had a hamburger in a public school, there’s a decent chance you’ve eaten their product.

The company made national headlines yesterday when it agreed to pay $1.65 million in back wages, interest and benefits to 970 women, in addition to making 248 job offers to former female applicants, after the Department of Labor found Green Bay Dressed Meats guilty of systemic discrimination against women.

Green Bay Dressed Meats is one of the largest suppliers of beef products to the federal school lunch program, as well as to the U.S. military. Through lucrative contracts with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of Defense, the company has access to giant consumer markets—all fed by the U.S. taxpayer. Yet while making all of this money off of Uncle Sam, Green Bay failed to comply with federal law, which requires that all federal contractors and subcontractors not discriminate in employment on the basis of gender, race, color, religion, national origin, disability or veteran status.

This story has a happy ending for the several hundred women who will get new jobs and back pay, yet it also highlights the untold stories of many women who continue to face discrimination in today’s workforce.  At a time when the economy is struggling and women’s unemployment has continued to climb, this case demonstrates the ongoing barriers today’s women face in attaining equal pay and career opportunities.

We agree with Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis, who said, in a press release issued yesterday by the Department of Labor: "This is the 21st century in the United States of America. There is no such thing as a 'man's job.'"