Brunswick Corp. and Lund Boat Co., a wholly owned subsidiary of the Brunswick Corp., have agreed to pay $295,000 in back wages and interest to 185 female job applicants after they were turned down for entry-level positions at Lund's boat manufacturing plant in New York Mills, Minn., according to the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs.

"I am pleased that we were able to reach a fair settlement in this case, one which will provide immediate relief to the women involved and lasting protections for all job seekers who apply to work for Lund and Brunswick in the future," says OFCCP Director Patricia A. Shiu. "OFCCP is committed to making sure that companies that hold federal contracts — profiting from taxpayer dollars — give workers a fair shot at employment and do not use gender as a factor when it comes to deciding who gets a job and who doesn't."

Following an OFCCP investigation beginning in September 2007, the agency found Lund did not ensure qualified female job applicants received the same consideration for employment, which is required by Executive Order 11246. The OFCCP then filed an administrative complaint with its Office of Administrative Law Judges Nov. 30, 2011, that claimed Lund officials had consistently discriminated against female job applicants in 2006 and 2007.