Between Election Day and the inauguration, federal agencies collected more than $20 billion in fines and settlements from corporations.
This data along with recent cases is available in an online database called Violation Tracker, a project funded by Good Jobs First’s Corporate Research Project.
Good Jobs First is a national advocacy group that “promotes corporate and government accountability in economic development and smart growth for working families,” according to its website. The organization’s Corporate Research Project focusses on strategic research to help drive businesses to “behave in a socially responsible manner.”
Violation Tracker compiles information from 39 different agencies including Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the U.S. Labor Department's Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs and data involving companies that have been penalized under OSHA’s Whistleblower Protection Program.
The database contains more than 120,000 entries with penalties in excess of $320 billion. Among the most recent cases added to Violation Tracker are rulings against Deutsche Bank ($7.2 billion), Credit Suisse ($5.3 billion), Volkswagen ($4.3 billion) and Takata ($1 billion).
Banks and other financial companies account for the largest portion of the recent cases, racking up nearly $15 billion in fines and settlements. Automotive companies are second with $5.5 billion.
Offenses included in the database range from financial to environmental, health and other harms to large numbers of people.
Violation Tracker is available at http://www.goodjobsfirst.org/violation-tracker.
