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Woman claims discrimination after not receiving competitive pay

On Behalf of | Sep 17, 2014 | Employment Disputes |

In the past, many women fought for equality — including in the workplace — and they are still fighting today. Unfortunately, some Texas businesses may not abide by the law and still allow race and sex discrimination to continue. Some may not allow the same opportunities for advancement to all, or present differences in pay, but no matter what type of discrimination is occurring, it is illegal for businesses to engage in it.

A black woman claims that her former employer discriminated against her by not allowing her the same growth opportunities and pay as her male, white co-workers. When she was first hired on by Enbridge Energy, her salary was $34,000, which increased to $40,000 after her promotion to the position of credit analyst. She asserts that, with merit bonus included, her salary further increased to $41,600.

In her lawsuit, she states that a white man was internally transferred and was also a credit analyst, but he was receiving $54,000 a year. When he was moved to a different position, another white male was placed in the same position and was offered $56,000 per year. The plaintiff claims that, even after her raises and performance reviews, she was still making $5,000 less per year than her co-worker.

On top of her lesser pay, she also claims that her co-worker had his expenses covered to attend conferences, but the company would not pay for her. She eventually resigned and filed a sex and race discrimination claim against the Texas-based company. Employees who believe that they have been the victim of discrimination may elect to file a complaint against their employer and be awarded monetary damages based upon the evidence of the discrimination.

Source: The Southeast Texas Record, “Enbridge Energy accused of discrimination“, Andrea Dearden, Sept. 8, 2014

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