Conectiv, others will pay $1.65M to settle racial suit
PHILADELPHIA (AP) - May 5, 2008 The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission announced the
settlement Monday. One of the men will receive $250,000 and the
three others each will receive $166,666.67, according to court
documents.
The men alleged the harassment took place in 2002 and 2003 on a
construction site at the former Bethlehem Steel site, where
Conectiv was the general contractor and property owner on a project
to build a new gas-fired power plant.
Comments made to the workers included "black men can't read or
write" and "I think everyone should own one," the EEOC said.
Graffiti was written in portable toilets on the site that included
"I love the Ku Klux Klan" and "if u not white u not right,"
according to the suit. The noose, made of heavy rope, was hung from
a beam above one of the men's work areas and was not removed for at
least 10 days, the suit alleged.
"The harassment in this case is shocking and unconscionable,"
said Jacqueline McNair, EEOC regional attorney. "The display of
hangman's nooses ... is abhorrent and will not be tolerated by the
EEOC."
In July 2005, the federal agency sued Conectiv and
subcontractors A.C. Dellovade Inc., Steel Suppliers Erectors Inc.
and Matrix Services Industrial Contractors, doing business as Bogan
Inc./Hale Group.
Under the $1.65 million settlement, Conectiv will pay $750,000,
Matrix Services will pay $450,000, Steel Suppliers will pay
$250,000, and A.C. Dellovade will pay $200,000.
The consent decree does not constitute an admission of guilt by
any of the defendants. The settlement calls for Conectiv to revise
its anti-discrimination policies, to post a notice about the
settlement at its headquarters and all construction sites, and to
provide anti-discrimination training.
"Conectiv Energy is committed to work force diversity as a core
value for all of our employees and our contractors working at every
site and facility," spokeswoman M.Q. Riding said. She added that
managers were immediately directed to investigate when Conectiv
learned of the allegations.
The Delaware-based company is a unit of Washington, D.C.-based
Pepco Holdings Inc.