Yesterday, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the National Women’s Law Center (NWLC), as well as 32 other organizations including the Feminist Majority Foundation, filed an amicus brief in the US Supreme Court in support of a class action suit against Wal-Mart for discriminating against its women employees in stores nationwide. Ten years ago, the women filed an initial suit against Wal-Mart for allegedly paying the women lower wages and giving them fewer promotions than less senior male employees.
Lenora Lapidus, Director of the ACLU Women’s Rights Project, stated, “Denying women equal pay and equal opportunities at work violates our fundamental values of fairness and equality. All employees should have the right to challenge unequal treatment in the workplace. A class action lawsuit is the best mechanism to allow the employees of Wal-Mart, one of the largest employers in the country, to address their claims of discrimination.”
The brief states that the class action lawsuit is necessary since many of the women in the class lack the resources to file the lawsuit individually. The Supreme Court is currently determining whether the class action suit can proceed.
