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The Great EEOC Roundup: March Edition


As always, there are some recent EEOC cases that jump out at me when I review recent developments on that front.  Below are a couple EEOC cases and settlements that stand out:


PMT Corporation to Pay in Excess of $1 Million to Settle Age and Sex Discrimination Suit

Earlier this month, it was announced that PMT Corporation would pay a little over $1 million to a class of job applicants who alleged the company engaged in a pattern of systematic hiring discrimination.  According to the facts alleged, PMT hired over 70 individuals as sales representatives between January 1, 2007 and late 2010, however, none were female or over 40 years old.  The suit claimed this was intentional and directed by PMT's owner and president.  This alleged conduct was in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act.  Based upon the facts in this case, it was certainly an uphill climb for PMT to establish a lack of age and sex discrimination...based upon the lack of diversity among the 70 individuals it hired during the specified time frame.



In a recent EEOC suit, it was alleged that NFI Roadrail and NFI Industries, Inc. violated the Equal Pay Act of 1963 and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by paying a female employee less than three male directors.  The EEOC alleged that the female director of internal operations made less than three male directors and after her male counterparts were fired, she was put back into the job, but at a lower annual salary.  It was not until she came across a pay stub of one of the male directors that she discovered the discrepancy in pay.  Given the increased attention that equal pay issues has gotten over the past few months, employers should take note:  Equal pay matters continue to be a major issue.  Tread carefully.


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