City of Richmond Agrees to Pay $1 Million For ‘Blatant’ Bias Against Black Pipefitters

Eight black pipefitters with the Department of Public Utilities, Water Maintenance Division, in Richmond, Va., will receive $1 million as part of a settlement of their race discrimination, harassment, and retaliation claims against the city, City Attorney Allen L. Jackson confirmed to BNA in an Aug. 12 email (Bradley v. Richmond).

After the pipefitters filed an internal complaint in March 2011, the city’s Human Resources Department conducted an investigation. The investigation confirmed that the black pipefitters were not receiving the same opportunities to advance as their white counterparts, and that the Water Maintenance Division permitted the use of ...