YRC and the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission announced an agreement providing for an expanded recruitment program to increase the diversity of YRC's truck driving and dock employees' workforce.


The agreement focuses on continuing and expanding YRC's existing diversity efforts and hiring programs for women and minorities. In particular, YRC has agreed to:
* Expand its sponsorship of Women in Trucking, an organization established to encourage the employment of women in the trucking industry;
* Continue its "Diversity Days" initiative, an innovative program bringing together community and good faith placement agencies and human resources personnel to promote minority hiring;
* Enhance YRC's recruiting efforts generally through a variety of measures to increase community awareness of opportunities at YRC for women, African Americans and Hispanics;
* Provide new training to its managers designed to identify and remove unintentional yet significant barriers to hiring women and minorities into dockworker and driver positions; and
* Improve the work environment for women and minorities at YRC facilities.

The agreement, voluntarily entered into by YRC without admitting liability or wrongdoing, ended an investigation by the EEOC into YRC's hiring practices with respect to women, African Americans, and Hispanics into truck driving and dock worker positions. The investigation was concluded without a finding that YRC violated Title VII.

"YRC is pleased that we were able to work collaboratively with the EEOC," said James G. Kissinger, executive vice president of human resources for YRC's parent company, YRC Inc. "Everyone recognized that certain structural and perceptual barriers still exist to hiring in the trucking industry, particularly for women. We have achieved an outcome that will lead to a more diverse applicant pool and ultimately a more diverse workforce once the current economic downturn is over and hiring resumes in earnest."

James R. Neely, Jr., Director of the EEOC's St. Louis District Office, which led the efforts to reach this agreement, said, "YRC worked cooperatively with the EEOC to resolve our concerns regarding the opportunities present for women and minorities in these positions. Working with the agency, YRC proactively designed improvements that will hopefully serve as 'best practices' models for others in the trucking industry."

YRC Worldwide is the holding company for a portfolio of brands including YRC, Reimer Express, YRC Logistics, New Penn, Holland, Reddaway and Glen Moore. Headquartered in Overland Park, Kansas, YRC Worldwide employs approximately 55,000 people.