OAK RIDGE, Tenn. (WATE) — A settlement has been reached in a years-long dispute between workers at the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge and managing contractor Consolidated Nuclear Security.
The settlement came out to $4.9 million in unpaid overtime, liquidated damages and attorney’s fees. This all stems from workers having to change at the workplace but not getting paid for it.
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“The crux of the case was that people at Y-12 in the crafts were required to do preoperatory work off the clock before they were being paid,” lead attorney Garry Ferraris said.
Raymond Hutzler, an electrician at Y-12 for more than a decade, said there were changes the company made that led to where they are today.
“After much consideration and years of changes at how the company had us performing our duties, it finally got to a breaking point,” Hutzler said. “We grieved it, we negotiated, we talked. We never could reach anything that gave us a true sense that we had a resolution that was helping make all of us feel equal.”