16 Black Deckhands Win $1.2 Million in Bias Suit

For years, they were called racist names and passed over for promotions. Now, black deckhands who worked aboard a Mississippi River dredge will split $1.2 million and get the opportunity for full-time work.

In a settlement reached last week, the Army Corps of Engineers will pay $62,500 to each of the 16 deckhands who were restricted to seasonal work aboard the Hurley.

“It came a little bit late, but it was worth it,” worker John Boyd said by telephone Friday from the Hurley, near New Madrid, Mo.

For 64 years, no black workers were offered full-time jobs aboard Corps dredges in the six-state Memphis district. The workers filed a race discrimination complaint against the Corps last year.

Col. Gregory G. Bean, commander of the Memphis district, said the settlement did not acknowledge discriminatory behavior but declared it was time to move forward.