The class-action lawsuit filed by two women against Apple seeks damages from 12,000 current and former female employees for allegedly underpaying them. saying the tech giant “systematically” paid them less than their male employees for four years.
The lawsuit, filed Thursday in San Francisco, California state court, alleges that Apple’s systematic gender discrimination stems from a policy that determines employees’ salaries based on previous jobs. .
Prior to the fall of 2017, the complaint says, Apple used job applicants’ prior pay grades to determine their starting salaries. The following year, Apple asked applicants about their salary expectations. The suit alleges that both of these practices have led to lower wages for women in the workplace. He also argues that the policy of asking prospective employees about their salary expectations “is highly correlated with prior salary; Research shows that people who request a salary generally provide a figure that is slightly higher than the salary of their current or last job.
The applicant pay policy created a pattern of lower pay for female workers, the lawsuit alleges: “Apple’s policy or practice of collecting information about salary expectations and using that information to determine starting salaries perpetuates past pay disparities. had an effect on making and payments. women do less similar work than men.”
The allegation goes further that Apple routinely penalizes female employees for “salve categories” of job performance that lead to pay bonuses and raises.
“Apple’s performance appraisal system is biased against women because men are rewarded for scoring categories such as teamwork and leadership, while women are penalized for the same behaviors,” the complaint states.
The class action lawsuit seeks damages and “declaratory relief” from Apple due to the alleged nonconformities, as well as lower earnings and benefits. The plaintiffs are also asking the court to hold a jury trial to hear their complaint.
For journalists in 2022 spoke to several female Apple employees who claimed to have been victims of sexual abuse and violence at work. When they later complained to human resources, they claimed that their work was either downplayed, ignored, or retaliated against for their complaints.
One of the most shocking examples came from former Apple legal director Jayne Whitt, who said a colleague hacked her devices and threatened her with death. She complained to HR and was assured that action would be taken. Whitt alleges that Apple’s HR team not only failed to discipline the employee, but fired him. He blew the whistle on Apple describes the situation and similar stories, prompting a wave of support from other female Apple employees.
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