MINNEAPOLIS (Legal Newsline) — The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has announced the signing of a conciliation agreement with the Montevido School District in Minnesota.
The district will pay $50,000 and reclassify the position of a female employee who performed the duties of a custodian, yet was paid as a custodial aid.
"EEOC is committed to full enforcement of Title VII and the Equal Pay Act to ensure that women are paid equally for their work in the same jobs as men," said Julie Schmid, acting director of the agency's Minneapolis Area Office.
According to EEOC, the Montevido School District failed to pay a female custodial aid the wages of a custodian, a position that was held by a male coworker. The problem, EEOC alleged, was that the two employees performed the same job duties that required a similar level of skill, effort and responsibility. The custodial aid position, paid hourly, provides much less income than the salaried custodian position.
Alleged conduct of this nature violates the 1963 Equal Pay Act and Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. In addition to a monetary penalty, the district will reclassify the female employee’s position to a custodian position and pay her accordingly. The district must provide anti-discrimination training annually to all employees.
"In this day and age it is unfortunate that women still have to fight for equal pay,” said Julianne Bowman, district director of EEOC's Chicago District Office.