Appeal to lab deal dropped
LOS ALAMOS — A Los Alamos National Laboratory employee who objected to a class action lawsuit against the lab's former manager has withdrawn her appeal.The move clears the way for thousands of lab employees to receive payouts from the $16.4 million settlement as soon as the end of the year, according to attorneys in the case.
The employees alleged the University of California, which ran the Northern New Mexico weapons lab for decades until last year, discriminated against women and Hispanics in pay, promotions and educational opportunities.
The settlement was finalized by a federal judge this summer.
Lab employee Laurie Quon appealed the settlement last month, threatening to postpone the payouts by several years. She argued it would give excessive payouts to women who initiated the lawsuit.
She also asserted the agreement, which releases the lab from future discrimination claims, is too broad.
Documents filed in the case indicate that Quon withdrew the appeal after it was agreed that her attorneys would be paid $75,000 in fees. "Our hope is that things are on the road to being wrapped up," her attorney, George Geran, said.
John Bienvenu, a lawyer representing workers in the case, said an administrator is processing claims for the 3,222 employees involved. The employees will be notified by mail on whether their claims were accepted.
17 comments:
Nice Christmas bonus coming for some lucky LANL workers!
"Bonus" for folks who have suffered pay inequity for years, maybe decades? Bonus...I don't think so. Vindication maybe, restitution...not. The part that's hard to swallow is some of the class reps sure do leave a lot to be desired. Hard not gag on that part. Otherwise, a "bonus" well deserved by most.
Were folks who were here as students during the relevant time period able to file claims?
10/9/07 1:15 PM
The lab has always paid women less for the same work- they lose one of these suits every decade or so. I would rather the courts made them fix the salaries...
4:31 pm asked ... "Were folks who were here as students during the relevant time period able to file claims?"
Yes, my student did. And she was pretty worthless but saw the big bucks. It will go towards her wedding expenses ...
I know that people who signed on and are getting money from the suit are being discriminated against. In fact, most women I know in the experimental sciences routinely get the shaft at ORC time.
All I got from Santa this year was a lousy 2% raise. A big, fat bonus would have been mighty nice. Most of the staff are now falling behind in living standards with each passing year.
Shit 10:16, I am a female in ADCLES and I got a whopping 1% raise and was told I was in the top 1/4 of my group's performers. Guys below me got higher raises. This should tell you the numbers. Oh, but there is no discrimination at LANL.
What are the factors considered in HR generating the recommended salary increase range?
Aren't all students and PDs paid identical salaries for a given education level?
"Aren't all students and PDs paid identical salaries for a given education level?"
Yes, 5:04, but it did not prevent them from being INVITED to participate in the lawsuit. My student came into work the day after she got the "invitation" and was bragging and laughing about how she was going to score a few thousand dollars.
Same story here, 10:42pm. Female TSM in ADWP. 1%.
Indeed, there has been an inordinate amount of rather unseemly glee at the prospect of "free money" for the holidsys.
"My student came into work the day after she got the "invitation" and was bragging and laughing about how she was going to score a few thousand dollars." - 10/10/07 6:24 PM
That is disgusting. Female students and postdocs have no ethical rights to any of this money. When will this insanity stop. Excuse me, but I think I'm going to puke.
This isn't the place to be feeding the rumor mill. Or is it? Well nevertheless, student's aren't getting a dime. Employees classified as "regular" are the ones getting something, and it's based on years of service and current compensation level. In otherwords a clerk won't be getting the same amount as a PHD (assuming they both are in different pay categories), nor will an employee with 3 months at the Lab get the same as the one with 20 years. So tell your students to chill because there's big windfall for them in the works. Hold off, in other words, on the big holiday spending spree.
10/11/07 8:31 AM
"Student's aren't getting a dime. Employees classified as "regular" are the ones getting something, and it's based on years of service and current compensation level."
Students are indeed included in the class action lawsuit. But you are correct when you give the example of a clerk getting the same amount as a PHD (assuming they both are in different pay categories), nor will an employee with 3 months at the Lab get the same as the one with 20 years.
Ditto, 10:42 and 8:11 pm. Female TSM in ADEPS. Wopping 1%.
LANS is really doing their best to be an unequal opportunity employer. Nice to see some things did not change but in fact got worse during the transition.
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