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ATLANTA—FedEx Corp., the world’s largest air-cargo
carrier, received final approval to pay almost $55
million to end a class-action discrimination lawsuit on
behalf of black and Hispanic workers at its FedEx
Express unit.
In an
order signed Wednesday and posted on the court’s web
site Thursday, US District Judge Susan Illston in
San Francisco
approved the settlement covering 20,000 checker-sorters,
customer service agents, freight handlers and other
workers.
Derrick
Satchell and eight other employees sued the unit in
2003, claiming they were denied promotions and raises
equal to those given white colleagues.
FedEx
dropped its requirement for candidates for courier jobs
to pass a map-reading, listening, reading and sorting
skills test after the suit was filed, said spokeswoman
Sally Davenport. Under the agreement, FedEx will change
its promotion practices and will be monitored by a
court-appointed special master.
“We are
gratified that the Court granted final approval of the
settlement which draws this matter to a close and allows
the company to move forward and avoid the expense and
uncertainty of protracted litigation,’’ Larry Brown,
senior vice president and chief human resources officer
for FedEx Express, said in a statement.
The
court also approved the payment of $15 mill- ion in
attorney fees and costs from the settlement proceeds,
attorney Waukeen McCoy, who was co-lead counsel for the
class, said in a phone interview.
“We’re
definitely very happy that the court believed we acted
in the best interests of the clients to get the matter
resolved,’’ said McCoy, the principal of the Law Offices
of Waukeen Q. McCoy in San Francisco.
In
April, the parties received preliminary approval of the
agreement after a year of court-ordered negotiations.
The
company denied all allegations of discrimination. |
