Federal employment officials say Texas-based Dell Inc. has agreed to settle a lawsuit alleging the company paid a female IT systems analyst less than male coworker for the same work.
U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) said Dell has agreed to pay $75,000 and provide other relief to settle an equal pay and sex discrimination lawsuit filed by the federal agency.
According to the EEOC’s lawsuit, Kea Golden worked as an information technology (IT) analyst for Dell beginning in September 2017. A the time of her hiring at Dell, Golden had 24 years of IT experience. In addition to Golden, Dell in September 2017 hired three male IT coworkers in the same department from another employer. While working with Dell, Golden performed the same tasks, assignments and work as one of her male coworkers with whom she worked at their prior employer. However, Dell paid Golden $17,510 less annually less than the male coworker.
The Equal Pay Act (EPA) and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 both prohibit discrimination in compensation based on sex. The EEOC filed suit in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, Dallas Division (Civil Action No. 3:20-cv-03131) after attempting to reach a pre-suit settlement through the agency’s conciliation process.
The parties voluntarily agreed to settle the case, and the consent decree resolving the EEOC’s lawsuit has now been approved by the federal court. In addition to paying $75,000 in monetary relief to Golden, Dell has agreed to provide specialized training on the EPA and Title VII; post a notice of employee rights under the EPA and Title VII; and report certain information regarding employee reports of discrimination to the EEOC for two years.
“Federal law requires that female and male employees receive equal pay for equal work, unless justified by a factor other than sex,” Joel Clark, senior trial attorney in the EEOC’s Dallas District Office, said in a media release. “In too many fields, including IT, female workers are not compensated at levels equal to their male peers.”
Source: EEOC
Topics Lawsuits
Was this article valuable?
Here are more articles you may enjoy.