On Oct. 1, Syracuse University and plaintiffs' law firm Outten & Golden agreed to resolve allegations of compensation discrimination raised by five female faculty members. Under the settlement, the university will pay $3.7 million to resolve the claims.
"We are pleased that Syracuse has agreed to resolve the claims, and the settlement will provide meaningful relief to our clients and other female faculty," said Deirdre Aaron, an attorney with Outten & Golden in New York City.
"Syracuse University is committed—at all levels, across all faculty and staff positions—to providing an equitable and supportive work environment," said Senior Vice President for Academic Operations Steve Bennett in Syracuse, N.Y. "We continue to work closely with academic leadership to ensure salaries are commensurate with every faculty member's job responsibilities, efforts and accomplishments, regardless of gender."
We've gathered articles on the news from SHRM Online and other outlets.
2017 Adjustments to University Salaries
Syracuse University said it has been and remains committed to pay equity. A 2017 evaluation of full-time faculty salaries resulted in salary adjustments for over 150 female faculty members totaling nearly $2 million.
(Syracuse University Office of the Provost)
Disparity in Gender Pay Gaps for Faculty in Higher Education
While Syracuse University admitted no wrongdoing or liability, the disparity in gender pay gaps for faculty has been well-documented in higher education. An American Association of University Professors study showed that full-time female faculty members earn nearly 20 percent less than men. The Eos Foundation and American Association of University Women noted that despite women comprising a majority of positions in higher education, most of the top earners are men.
(University Business)
Review Pay Equity
As business leaders focus on closing the gender pay gap and states enact broader laws covering fair pay for more workers, HR professionals may want to review their organization's compensation policies and practices.
So what is pay equity? In general, it means compensating employees the same when they perform the same or similar job duties, while accounting for other factors, such as their experience level, job performance and tenure with the employer, explained Karen Denney, an attorney with Haynes and Boone in Fort Worth, Texas.
(HR Magazine)
State Law Restrictions on Asking About Prior Salaries
At least 48 states have separate laws addressing pay equity in the workplace. These laws typically provide much greater protections for employees than the Federal Equal Pay Act, with many including a provision that restricts employers from asking about prior salary history.
(SHRM Online)
How to Ensure Pay Equity for People of Color
In addition to ensuring pay equity between men and women, employers must ensure pay equity for people of color. For every $1 paid to white men, Black men earn 88 cents and Black women receive 76 cents, according to a recent survey by PayScale, a U.S. compensation data and software company. Even when the data is adjusted to account for similar education and experience levels, Black men receive 98 cents and Black women receive 97 cents for every dollar paid to white men. Over a lifetime, these differences add up to hundreds of thousands of dollars.
(HR Magazine)