Palmdale-Based School Failed to Pay Female Tutor Equally, Federal Agency Charged

LOS  ANGELES - Guidance Charter School, of Palmdale, Calif will pay $8,000 and  provide other injunctive relief to settle a sex discrimination lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency  announced today. The consent decree was approved by the U.S. District Court for  the Central District of California.

According to the EEOC, Guidance Charter School paid a female math tutor a lower hourly rate than her male counterpart despite their jobs being the same. The EEOC contends that the employee complained of the unequal pay and the school failed to address the pay discrepancy.

Such conduct violates the Equal Pay Act of 1963 and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The EEOC filed the suit in the U.S. District Court for the Central  District of California (EEOC v. The  Guidance Charter School, Case No. 2:18-CV-02323-VAP-FFM) after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation agreement through its conciliation process. The court will maintain jurisdiction over this case for the term of the two-year consent decree.

In addition to monetary relief, Guidance Charter School will review and revise its policies and procedures, as necessary, regarding compliance with the EPA and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act; implement training to all employees regarding equal pay practices, sex discrimination, and retaliation; develop a centralized tracking system for policy dissemination and discrimination, unequal pay, or retaliation complaints; and submit annual reports to the EEOC  verifying compliance with the decree.

"We continue to see pay disparity between men and women in all different industries," said Anna Park, regional attorney for the EEOC's Los Angeles District. "We encourage  employers to evaluate their pay structure to ensure gender equity in pay."

Rosa Viramontes, director of EEOC's Los Angeles District Office, added, "The EEOC remains steadfast in its pursuit of abolishing the gender pay gap. We are pleased with the steps Guidance Charter has made to rectify this situation."

According to the  California Department of Education's website, www.cde.ca.gov, the Guidance Charter School has been closed since June 30, 2018.

Enforcement of equal pay laws and targeting compensation systems and practices is one of the  six national priorities identified by EEOC's Strategic Enforcement Plan (SEP).