Ugo Colombo’s car dealership settles complaint of bias against female job applicants

Real estate developer Ugo Colombo’s luxury car dealership entered a conciliation agreement with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) over allegations that the dealership  discriminated against female job applicants.

“Following an investigation, the EEOC found that the company had discriminated … by failing to hire enough females into the position of sales representative,” the federal agency said in a press release.

The EEOC investigated after a woman who unsuccessfully applied for a job as a sales rep at Colombo’s dealership filed a complaint with the federal agency.

The Collection admitted no wrongdoing. But the dealer of luxury cars under such brands as Ferrari, Maserati and Porsche at locations in Miami and Coral Gables agreed to pay a confidential settlement to the woman who complained to the EEOC.

The Collection also agreed to provide anti-discrimination training to its employees, adopt recruiting techniques to identify qualified female candidates for job openings, and hire a director of diversity and inclusion who will serve as a liaison with the EEOC.

“This agreement is a step toward addressing concerns regarding access to job opportunities for women in an industry where those opportunities have historically been limited,” Michael Farrell, the director of the EEOC Miami District Office, said in the EEOC press release.

In an email to the Miami Herald, The Collection said it is “pleased to have had this opportunity to work directly with the EEOC to further promote equal employment of qualified persons for our company and to be at the forefront of the movement to change the face of the industry.”[Miami Herald] – Mike Seemuth