$24M settlement ends Walgreens’ discrimination suit

A federal judge has approved a settlement between Walgreens and a class of roughly 10,000 former and present employees who sued the retailer for race discrimination.

The lawsuit alleged Deerfield-based Walgreens assigned black managers, management trainees and pharmacists to low-performing stores and denied them promotions based on their race.

In addition to the settlement amount, Walgreens will pay $4.5 million to the plaintiffs’ attorneys.

Final note: Class-action lawsuits are hot. Have you completed an internal promotion audit? It is a good idea to take a close look at how you select candidates and how those candidates are evaluated. Your work force demographics should show steady progress for all employees—especially if you routinely promote from within.