The settlement is the second in three years the country's largest employee-owned grocery chain has been forced to make over alleged discrimination policies. Publix paid $82.5 million in 1997 to settle a sex bias suit filed by female employees who alleged their promotions were slowed or blocked because of gender discrimination.

In the current settlement, the 60-year-old food company is paying $5.45 million to employees in the fired-category column; $2.25 million to those in the promotion category; and $2.4 million to the Tallahassee, FL law firm of Spriggs and Davis which represented the plaintiffs. Each of the seven workers who were chosen as class action representatives will receive $55,000. If all of the 15,000 current and former employees meet court requirements to participate in the class-action suit, each would receive an average $500.

Publix has revamped its hiring, firing and promotion programs over the past three years. The changes have increased the number of black managers by 31% to 8.4% of all managers. In its newest change, the company is agreeing to have an independent mediator review the future dismissals of black employees. Publix has 10,000 full-time employees and annual sales of $13 billion in Florida and Georgia.