The U.S. Department of Labor says companies in Baton Rouge and South Carolina are settling a lawsuit alleging they illegally fired a crane operator in Texas for making safety and health complaints. The man repeatedly told his employer, MMR Contractors of Baton Rouge, and general contractor Fluor Corp. of Greenville, S.C., that a crane lift was unsafe.
According to a Labor Department news release, Fluor told MMR to remove the worker from the Oak Grove Power Plant worksite in Franklin, Texas, and MMR did. The release says both claimed he was fired for disruptive behavior. The companies did not immediately respond to a request from the Associated Press for comment.
The Labor Department says, by the terms of the settlement, the companies agree to pay $17,500 in back wages, purge any mention of his firing from his personnel file and provide neutral employment references. It says they also agree not to unlawfully retaliate against any worker. Labor spokesman Juan Rodriguez says the man was an instrument fitter certified for a number of construction jobs, including crane operation. It is Labor Department policy not to release names of workers in whistleblower complaints.
