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Dupont sued over pension fund

The International Brotherhood of Dupont Workers has sued the Wilmington-based chemical company and its pension fund, saying that company efforts to streamline its payroll system by hiring an outside contractor to manage it has led to workers' being shortchanged on their pension payments.

    by Jane M. Von Bergen, INQUIRER STAFF WRITER
    Published 

The International Brotherhood of Dupont Workers has sued the Wilmington-based chemical company and its pension fund, saying that company efforts to streamline its payroll system by hiring an outside contractor to manage it has led to workers' being shortchanged on their pension payments.

The federal lawsuit, filed July 24 in the Eastern District of Virginia, involves four DuPont Co. facilities, including Philadelphia's.

Affected are about 500 employees, including as many as 100 from Philadelphia, who retired after July or Aug. 2008, or will retire as Dupont seeks voluntary retirements to reduce layoffs.

Before that, Dupont was able to accurately calculate pension benefits, according to the lawyer representing the union, Kenneth Henley of Bala Cynwyd. The plaintiffs seek class-action status.

"The company has been diligently addressing these issues," spokeswoman Lori A. Captain said. "We have assured employees and retirees that, to the extent errors have occurred, corrected pension calculations and payments will be made.