Duquesne highlights pay equity, diversity and inclusion in second ESG report

Pittsburgh-based Duquesne Light Holdings Inc. (DLH) announced Friday that it is further advancing the company’s vision to ensure an equitable, clean energy future for the region in its second Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) report.

The report, “Building a New Table Together: An Addendum on Hiring Practices and Pay Equity,” was the follow-up report to its first Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) report issued last summer.

“Ensuring a clean energy future for all would not be possible without a solid understanding of and commitment to corporate responsibility,” DLH President and CEO Kevin Walker said. “We are making significant strides in ensuring that everything we do has a positive impact on our employees, customers, communities, and the environment. Our work is nowhere near finished, but I’m extremely optimistic about the progress we’ve made and the steps we’re taking to achieve our full potential.”

The report highlighted a pay study conducted by an outside firm in late 2020 that assessed gender-, race- and ethnicity-based equity in the base salaries of non-union employees at the Duquesne Light Company, DLH’s regulated electric utility. The study found that, on average, women in the company were paid 99.72 percent of what men were paid at the company, while Black, Asian and Hispanic employees were paid 100.73 percent of what white employees were paid.

“As our workforce becomes more representative of the communities we serve, we benefit from the diversity of thought that these team members bring to our company,” said Christine Waller, vice president of communications and corporate responsibility at DLH, who also oversees DEI efforts. “Welcoming all employees to an accepting, inclusive environment where they are valued and respected for their work is a vital way for us to recruit and retain talent while better serving our customers and communities.”

The company said in the report that it intends to reexamine pay data every few years to ensure pay equity continues. The company said it will also monitor internal and external hiring and will intentionally build equitable opportunities in its early-career pipelines.