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Identifying violations of the Equal Pay Act

by | Mar 30, 2018 | Employment Law - Employees

All of the hard work that you put into your education and/or vocational training will hopefully pay off by you securing a job with a reputable company in Charleston. Yet as many of the clients that we here at The Grubb Law Group have worked with in the past can attest to, simply getting your foot in the door of a company does not necessarily mean that the opportunities for an employer to discriminate against you have ended. It is often expected that you will encounter a workplace hierarchy (especially in terms of compensation) when you become part of a company. However, the basis of that hierarchy should not be discriminatory. 

Despite increased employment opportunities being given to certain demographic groups that have historically experienced discrimination, many members of those groups still find unfair practices being employed in the way that they are compensated for their work. For example, imagine you discover that a colleague of a different gender who fills a role similar to yours is being paid much more than you. Legislation does indeed exist to prevent such a practice. 

The Equal Pay Act is a federal law which prohibits a company from paying you less than others with similar skills and experience solely based off your sex. Applying this law to the aforementioned example may make it seem as though your employer is in violation of it. However, the EPA does allow companies to establish varying pay scales using the following factors: 

  • Seniority 
  • Merit
  • Production quality or quantity

Essentially, different levels of pay are permitted provided that their basis is not due to gender. If, however, it appears your worth is devalued because of your sex, you may have cause for a complaint. More information on discriminatory workplace practices can be found here on our site. 

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