Believing she was being paid less than her male coworkers, on several occasions a female truck driver approached her superiors to discuss her perceived pay disparity. Tina Thompson was fired from her employment with the commercial trucking company one day after sending a text to the owner of the company stating that she believed she was being paid less than her male coworkers due to the fact that is female. After a failed attempt to settle the dispute between the worker and the trucking company, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed suit against Winebrenner Transfer, Inc. for wage discrimination and retaliation, alleging violation of the Equal Pay Act of 1963 and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
In the the EEOC’s press release regarding this action, EEOC regional attorney Debra M. Lawrence stated, “Addressing gender based pay discrimination and eliminating employment practices that discourage individuals form exercising their rights under our statutes are two of the agency’s national priority issues.”
A U.S. District Court awarded Ms. Thompson $21,000 in back pay and $21,000 in liquidated damages. In addition to the monetary award, the trucking company is required to implement and disseminate an anti-discrimination policy and complaint procedure to all employees and applicants of the company. As required by the court, the owner and vice president of the trucking company will take an anti-discrimination course.
“If an employee complains about pay discrimination, or any form of illegal discrimination, the best course of action for the employer is to investigate and take appropriate action to correct the situation,” stated EEOC District Director, Spencer H. Lewis.
If you or someone you know thinks they have experienced wage discrimination and/or retaliation, the team at Radford & Keebaugh can help. Contact us by phone at (678) 369-3609 or use our contact form.