A federal judge in Maryland has dismissed a proposed class-action lawsuit accusing some of America’s largest nuclear power companies of coordinating to keep employee wages low, dealing a significant setback to thousands of workers who sought compensation claims stretching back more than two decades.
The case, brought last year by two power-generation employees, alleged that 26 nuclear plant operators and two consulting firms exchanged salary information as part of a long-running arrangement designed to suppress wages across the industry. The lawsuit targeted several prominent companies, including Constellation Energy, Duke Energy and NextEra Energy.
However, U.S. District Judge Adam Abelson ruled that the complaint failed to present enough evidence to establish the existence of an unlawful agreement. According to the court, the allegations pointed only to companies sharing and individually using compensation data, falling short of demonstrating a coordinated effort to fix or depress worker pay.
The judge also found that many of the claims had been filed beyond the four-year time limit established under federal antitrust law.
The workers had sought to represent thousands of employees at nuclear facilities dating back to 2003, arguing that industry-wide information exchanges artificially restricted compensation growth. The defendants rejected the accusations, maintaining that the allegations were implausible given the intense regulatory oversight governing the nuclear energy sector.
Duke Energy welcomed the ruling, reiterating its commitment to maintaining competitive compensation practices for its workforce.
While the decision dismisses most of the claims, it does not necessarily end the legal battle. Judge Abelson dismissed the majority of the allegations without prejudice, leaving the door open for the plaintiffs to revise their complaint and return to court with additional arguments.
Separately, NextEra Energy, the parent company of Florida Power and Light, agreed earlier this year to pay $9.5 million to resolve claims connected to the dispute, while continuing to deny any wrongdoing.
The lawsuit had become one of the most closely watched legal challenges involving labor practices in the U.S. nuclear industry, raising broader questions about how employers use compensation data and whether information-sharing arrangements can cross the line into antitrust violations.
