ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, January 19, 1996 TAG: 9601190075
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press RICHMOND
Trigon Blue Cross Blue Shield and the U.S. Department of Labor announced a $525,000 settlement Thursday in a case involving pay scales for male and female managers and minority hiring practices.
The settlement is the second largest ever in what the labor department called ``a glass ceiling case.'' The largest was a $600,000 settlement reached in 1993 between the department and Fairfax Hospital.
Trigon, the state's largest health insurer, agreed to pay $264,901 in back pay and interest to 34 women managers because they were paid less than male managers of equal qualification and seniority. The managers also will receive $108,971 in salary adjustments.
The agreement also calls for $151,588 to be distributed to as many as 35 minority applicants who were unfairly treated in the hiring process for clerical positions during 1993 and 1994, the department said.
The settlement concerns only the company's employees in Richmond. It does not affect its operations in Roanoke, where Trigon employs about 900 people, 82 percent of whom are female and 17 percent are minorities, the company said.
The agreement provides for 21 job offers as well as retroactive seniority and fringe benefits for those who take the jobs.
The agreement resulted from a review by the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, which audits the employment practices of federal contractors. Trigon said no complaints were filed by the affected individuals, who were not identified.
Trigon said the problems with pay disparity and hiring practices were inadvertent.
``The company was able to reach a compromise in order to settle the review in a timely manner,'' said Christine R. Miller, Trigon's vice president for human resources.
``We are committed to the principles of equal employment opportunity,'' Miller said.
Staff writer Mag Poff contributed to this story.
LENGTH: Short : 45 linesby CNB