In New York, Google may be known as a leader in technological advancements and search engine algorithms, but there is one area that it may fall dismally short — workplace equality. An amendment was recently added to a class action lawsuit, which claims that Google continually pays women less than men. The alleged workplace discrimination occurs across different positions and skill levels.
The class action suit was filed by three former Google employees back in Sept. 2017, and the most recent amendment added one additional plaintiff. In their suit, they allege that Google not only promotes women more slowly than men, but that it also hires them with lower starting pay and in positions that do not provide as much compensation as male-dominated positions. Even when performing the same or similar jobs, women are allegedly paid less than their male peers.
The recent amendment from the new plaintiff is based off her experienced as a preschool teacher. Although she had relevant experience and a master’s in teaching, her starting salary was less than a male co-worker hired at the same time for the same job. The male co-worker did not have as much experience or a relevant degree. She was not promoted until approximately three years after her initial hire.
This is not the first time that Google has faced accusations of paying women less than men. The U.S. Department of Labor made a similar accusation in April 2017, after which Google refused to comply with a request to provide salary records. It cited financial concerns as a barrier to disclosing this information.
Google still denies that women face pay-related discrimination. However, even when faced with a workplace discrimination suit, it is not uncommon for employers to continue to deny allegations. For New York victims, pursuing these suits is often just as much about holding companies responsible for their behavior as they are about compensation.
Source: gizmodo.com, “Another Former Google Employee Has Accused the Company of Underpaying Women“, Melanie Ehrenkranz, Jan. 3, 2018
