Nearly 2,000 current and former Walmart employees filed claims of discrimination on the basis of gender with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). Complaints were filed in all but two states – Montana and Vermont – but at least one complaint was filed in every US Walmart retail region. The lawsuits were filed in response to last year’s Supreme Court ruling on a class-action lawsuit, Dukes v. Walmart Stores, Inc., in which the Supreme Court overturned a lower court’s certification of a national class of women.
Brad Seligman, one of the lawyers for the women in Dukes v. Walmart Stores, Inc., said that “the fact that EEOC charges were filed in every single Walmart region in the nation demonstrates the widespread and pervasive nature of Walmart’s pay and promotion discrimination against its women employees.”
1,975 charges were filed with the EEOC alleging Walmart discriminated in pay and promotion decisions. In some states, over 100 women filed complaints, such as Florida with 248 claims, Alabama with 142 claims, and Georgia with 199 claims of discrimination. Class action suits are now being filed by region against Walmart in California and Texas, and other suits are expected to be filed throughout the year.
ACLU Press Release 6/6/12; UPI 6/6/12; City Wire 6/6/12; Feminist Daily Newswire 2/21/12, 10/28/11
