Labor Union Blog

Current and former workers at plants in two states that produced uranium during the Cold War have received more than $1.5 billion in compensation and medical benefits from the U.S. Labor Department. Jesse Russell has more.

Nine thousand one hundred thirty four workers at facilities in Tennessee will share more than $1 billion for their work and exposure at a Y-12 nuclear weapons plant, the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and a K-25 uranium enrichment plant. An additional $500 million will be shared by 4,798 workers at a diffusion plant in Kentucky. The payments will be provided to workers that have been diagnosed with cancer and other illnesses that can be caused by exposure to radiation.