Wage Suppression and Retaliation Class Action on Behalf of Antarctica Support Workers
On January 6, 2025, Anna “Scout” Wise, who formerly worked with the United States Antarctic Program (USAP), filed an individual and class-action lawsuit in the United States District Court for the District of Colorado, seeking to represent thousands of workers who have worked as support workers in Antarctica over the past several years. The complaint accuses private federal contractors of systematically suppressing wages, retaliating against workers who raise concerns about their mistreatment and serious health and safety issues, and entering into illegal no-poach agreements that have denied workers in Antarctica the bargaining power of a free and fair market for their labor. The complaint aims to secure damages for lost wages, prevent future illegal practices, and push for systemic reforms to ensure workers’ rights are protected in one of the world’s most challenging workplaces.
The case sheds light on how private companies, working under federal contracts that cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars, have effectively kept thousands of Antarctic workers trapped in low-paying jobs and denied them the opportunity to shop between contractors for higher wages or better treatment. Wise alleges that these contractors agreed not to hire workers from one another without explicit permission and agreed to blacklist workers who complain about their mistreatment, practices that violate federal antitrust laws and Colorado’s prohibition on covenants not to compete.
The lawsuit is brought by our law firm, Nichols Kaster, PLLP, along with co-counsel Towards Justice, Spark, Justice Law, and ALR Civil Rights LLC. The lawsuit is brought against the following entities: Amentum Services, Inc., Gana-A’Yoo Services Corporation, Six Mile, LLC, Gray Hawk Global Corporation, and Leidos, Inc.
The case is titled Wise v. Amentum Services, Inc. et. al., Case No. 1:25-cv-00031-TPO (D. Colorado).
If you have any questions about this class action lawsuit or would like to provide us with information, please contact our office at 877-344-4628 or via email to attorney Clara Coleman at ccoleman@nka.com.
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