$300,000 Settlement for Class of Female Professors Alleging Pay Bias
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Wednesday, April 1, 2009 |
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Adelphi
University of Garden City, N.Y., one of the largest universities on
Long Island, has agreed to settle a pay discrimination lawsuit filed by
the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) for more than
$300,000 and significant remedial relief, the federal agency announced
today. The EEOC had charged that Adelphi paid a group of women
professors less than male professors performing the same work.
According
to the EEOC's lawsuit, a class of female full-time professors was paid
less than male professors of the same or lesser rank teaching within
the same school. This violation had been ongoing since at least April
2004, the EEOC said. Pay discrimination by gender violates the Equal
Pay Act and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The EEOC filed
the suit in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York
(EEOC v. Adelphi University, No. 07-CV-4001).
"Working women
should never be shortchanged by receiving unequal pay for performing
equal work," said EEOC Acting Chairman Stuart J. Ishimaru, who noted
that the agency receives upward of 5,000 wage bias charge filings
nationwide each year under all the statutes it enforces. "The EEOC
intends to enhance enforcement in this area by focusing on systemic
cases, in addition to increasing public outreach and education."
Under
the terms of the consent decree settling the suit, Adelphi agreed to
pay $305,889 to 37 claimants, as well as salary increases for 30
claimants. Further, Adelphi agreed to comply with the requirements of
the Equal Pay Act and Title VII. The decree also requires monitoring
and training on federal employment discrimination laws for the
following three years.
EEOC New York Trial Attorney Louis Graziano, said,
"The consent decree puts mechanisms in place to prevent pay discrimination at Adelphi in the future."
New
York District Director Spencer H. Lewis added, "Employees are entitled
to a workplace without disparity and differential treatment based on
sex. The EEOC will seek full relief against employers who continue to
pay women less than their male peers for performing the same work."
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