Home Depot Says Gov?t Too Much of a Hassle
Home Depot, the second largest retailer in the U.S., recently informed all of its stores not to do business with government agencies in order to avoid affirmative-action reporting standards that apply to all companies with more than fifty employees and over $50,000 in sales to government agencies annually. Despite the Department of Defense?s seemingly significant reliance on Home Depot as a supplier, company officials have insisted that the policy is not new, but rather an existing one that is reiterated regularly in order to ensure that all new managers and employees are aware of it. A spokesperson for the company---which paid $65 million to settle a discrimination suit five years ago, and is currently facing another suit---does not have the administrative capacity to report on the racial and gender demographics of its workforce.
See "Home Depot Says Gov?t Too Much of a Hassle", Associated Press, Newsday, June 17, 2002