Covenant HealthCare, a non-profit healthcare system based in Saginaw, Mich., is violating federal law by paying a female employee a lower wage than two male co-workers who hold the same position, the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit. According to the EEOC’s lawsuit, the female employee has worked for Covenant since 2008. When she became a business intelligence developer in February 2017, Covenant paid her a starting wage of $31.05 per hour. Three months later, in May 2017, Covenant transferred a male employee from a different department to become a business intelligence developer and paid him a starting wage of $39.16 per hour. Later that year, Covenant hired another man into the same position and paid him a starting wage of $35.05 per hour. The female employee continues to earn a lower wage than both males. All three employees perform equal work. Such alleged conduct violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Equal Pay Act of 1963. The EEOC seeks to recover monetary compensation for the employee in the form of back pay, liquidated damages and punitive damages.
