New York employees who work at startups or businesses that focus on information and technology may be interested to learn that three female ex-employees filed a lawsuit on Sept. 14 against Google alleging that it engaged in gender-based wage discrimination. The plaintiffs are seeking compensation for lost wages and a portion of Google’s profits.
The three plaintiffs reportedly left the company after the career trajectories they were put on would have resulted in lower compensation than their male coworkers. As such, the plaintiffs claimed in the lawsuit that the company segregated female employees into jobs that did not offer the same promotion or advancement opportunities that male employees were given. The lawsuit was filed shortly after the company fired a male employee for releasing an internal memo that enforced certain gender stereotypes that were considered to be harmful.
Google stated that it was reviewing the lawsuit but it did not agree with the allegation central to the claim. A spokeswoman for Google said that promotions and job levels were determined by committees. They must pass certain checks to ensure that there was no gender bias in the decisions that were made regarding employee promotions.
Employees are entitled to a fair wage regardless of whether they are male or female. If workers have evidence to believe that they are not being paid a proper wage due to discrimination or unfair wage practices, a wage and hour law attorney may gather the evidence to back the claim and file a lawsuit against the employer. The attorney may seek compensation for hours the employees worked but were not paid for and income they may be owed due to the lack of promotion opportunities as a result of their gender.
Source: Engadget, “Google sued by female ex-employees over pay discrimination“, Saqib Shah, Sept. 15, 2017
