ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (Legal Newsline) — The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced Jan. 3 that Kevothermal, a manufacturer of vacuum insulation panels, will pay $60,000 after allegations of violating the Equal Pay Act and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
"Wage gaps have a wide and long-lasting impact, not only for the women who are paid less, but also for their children and families,"” said Mary Jo O'Neill, regional attorney for the Phoenix District Office. “
"The gap follows these women throughout their entire career, even affecting their retirement benefits. These broad impacts amount to nothing less than wage theft.”"
According to the EEOC, a female employee who worked as a supervisor for Kevothermal was paid less than a male counterpart despite doing substantially equal work. The female employee had been with the company longer, and had purportedly trained the male employee. Additionally, Kevothermal allegedly had a restrictive language policy that prevented the female employee – who is Hispanic – from translating for other Hispanic employees.
"Enforcing equal pay laws is an important priority for the EEOC," said Phoenix District director Elizabeth Cadle. "EEOC will continue to advocate for employees to be paid equally when they perform substantially equal work and ensure compliance with Title VII and the EPA."
In addition to the monetary penalties, Kevothermal must provide training to its employees related to the Equal Pay Act and national origin discrimination.