High Court Urged to Give Wal-Mart Women a Hearing
source: http://womensenews.org/story/in-the-courts/110301/high-court-urged-give-wal-mart-women-hearing
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Major women's rights groups and unions that represent many female employees joined together Tuesday, the first day of Women's History Month, to urge the U.S. Supreme Court to approve a court hearing for a group of Wal-Mart employees' claims of company-wide sex bias reports Women's eNews -- http://womensenews.org/story/in-the-courts/110301/high-court-urged-give-wal-mart...
The High Court's decision could permit allegations of gender discrimination on behalf of more than one million current and former Wal-Mart female employees to go to a public trial.
A High Court ruling could also provide guidelines for other groups of employees on what is necessary for them to claim gender bias, rather than limiting the litigation and its outcomes to individuals with specific claims.
The women's organizations brief argues that the court should approve the hearing because doing otherwise would drastically limit the ability of employees who believe they experienced sex discrimination to rely on the courts to challenge job discrimination.
It describes sex discrimination in the workplace as a "serious national problem" that can best be addressed through class actions rather than individual claims. It adds that expert evaluations indicate that across the board female Wal-Mart employees were paid as much as 15 percent less than men doing the same job.
In addition, the brief asserts that Wal-Mart relied on individual managers to make decisions about salary increases and promotions, allowing decisions influenced by "biases and stereotypes to stand without meaningful assessment or correction."
The brief quotes one Wal-Mart senior vice president saying that one female employee "should raise a family and stay in the kitchen" rather than push for career advancement.
When she complained to her supervisor, the brief says, she was told to "shrug it off."
The Supreme Court, now with a total of three female members, is likely to ask both sides to present their cases in person and then make a decision sometime before its summer recess.
This is the largest civil rights class action--as such large lawsuits are called--in U.S. history.
|More
The High Court's decision could permit allegations of gender discrimination on behalf of more than one million current and former Wal-Mart female employees to go to a public trial.
A High Court ruling could also provide guidelines for other groups of employees on what is necessary for them to claim gender bias, rather than limiting the litigation and its outcomes to individuals with specific claims.
The women's organizations brief argues that the court should approve the hearing because doing otherwise would drastically limit the ability of employees who believe they experienced sex discrimination to rely on the courts to challenge job discrimination.
It describes sex discrimination in the workplace as a "serious national problem" that can best be addressed through class actions rather than individual claims. It adds that expert evaluations indicate that across the board female Wal-Mart employees were paid as much as 15 percent less than men doing the same job.
In addition, the brief asserts that Wal-Mart relied on individual managers to make decisions about salary increases and promotions, allowing decisions influenced by "biases and stereotypes to stand without meaningful assessment or correction."
The brief quotes one Wal-Mart senior vice president saying that one female employee "should raise a family and stay in the kitchen" rather than push for career advancement.
When she complained to her supervisor, the brief says, she was told to "shrug it off."
The Supreme Court, now with a total of three female members, is likely to ask both sides to present their cases in person and then make a decision sometime before its summer recess.
This is the largest civil rights class action--as such large lawsuits are called--in U.S. history.
|More
