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Western Sugar To Pay $550,000 In Discrimination Claim

DENVER (AP) - The federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission says Western Sugar Cooperative has agreed to pay $550,000 to settle a complaint that it discriminated against women.

The EEOC said Wednesday the Denver-based cooperative denied women training, promotions and year-round employment, gave them less desirable assignments than men and paid them less.

Western Sugar didn't immediately respond to a call. The EEOC says the cooperative denied the allegations but agreed to the payment and to do more training and outreach to avoid the cost of litigation.

Western Sugar has processing plants in Fort Morgan, Colo., Billings, Mont., Scottsbluff, Neb., and Lovell and Torrington, Wyo.

The EEOC says Western Sugar employee Lorelei Kilker filed the original complaint. The agency says the $550,000 will be paid to Kilker and an unspecified number of other women.

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)

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