AstraZeneca, one of the biggest pharmaceutical companies worldwide, will pay $250,000 in a sex discrimination settlement filed by the US Department of Labor. The amount will be divided equally between 124 former and current women employees. Following an investigation, the US Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFFCP) found that the company had violated Executive Order 11246, which states that federal contractors cannot discriminate on the basis of gender in their hiring and employment practices.
Patricia Shiu, director of the OFCCP, stated, “Forty-eight years after President Kennedy signed the Equal Pay Act, women are still fighting for fundamental fairness when it comes to how we are paid. I am glad AstraZeneca finally has agreed to pay its employees what they’ve earned.”
The women experienced pay discrimination while working at AstraZeneca’s location in Wayne, PA and received salaries that were approximately $1,700 than male employees. AstraZeneca will also work with OFCCP to analyze the base pay of 415 full time employees.
