Savannah River Operator to Pay $235K for Wage Discrimination

The Savannah River Site’s contract manager has agreed to pay nearly $235,000 to 72 workers following claims that female and black employees received unfair pay levels, the Department of Labor announced last week. Savannah River Nuclear Solutions also intends to reassess its employee policies, according to a press release. The Labor Department’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs determined that SRNS “discriminated against women in some engineering, technical and administrative positions,” according to the release. “The review also determined that African Americans were underpaid in certain operation specialist positions.” The money covers back pay from 2009 to 2010 for 57 female workers who received lower pay than their male peers and 15 black workers who made less than their white peers. This would be a violation of Executive Order 11246, which prohibits federal contractors from any form of compensation discrimination based on gender or race.

SRNS has also agreed to “evaluate whether promotion decisions, performance evaluation ratings, procedures for assigning work, training opportunities, leave policies, assigning applicants to jobs, and limiting job transfers have a negative effect on compensation of women and African Americans,” the Labor Department said. “Savannah River will also develop new policies to eliminate practices that affect compensation of women and African Americans adversely. The company will conduct an annual compensation analysis during the term of the conciliation agreement. If the analysis shows systemic race- or gender-based pay disparities, Savannah will increase the salaries of women and African Americans.”