Risky business: Pay discrimination case costs federal contractor $1.2M
Seems like LexisNexis Risk Solutions should have known what was at stake when it paid female employees substantially less than their male counterparts for work on federal contracts.
That doesn’t seem to be the case, however. LexisNexis Risk Solutions will pay over $1.2 million in back pay and interest and provide additional relief to resolve allegations of systemic pay discrimination against women at its facilities in Alpharetta, GA, and Boca Raton, FL, the Department of Labor announced.
LexisNexis provides computer-assisted legal and business research and risk management services. During fiscal years 2015 and 2016, the company had millions of dollars in federal contracts with the U.S. Departments of Homeland Security, Justice, Transportation and Labor, and the Office of Personnel Management and the General Services Administration.
Two separate investigations by the DOL’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs found that for several years, LexisNexis paid 26 female employees in “operational leadership” jobs substantially less than males employed in the same jobs in Boca Raton. OFCCP’s investigations also found that the company paid 185 female employees in similar positions substantially less than their male counterparts in Alpharetta.
The agency found a significant difference in pay in both locations even after taking into account legitimate factors that affect pay levels, like local costs of food, housing and other living expenses.
While not admitting liability, LexisNexis agreed to pay over $1.2 million in back pay and interest, and to monitor practices that affect compensation for women adversely. The company also agreed to pay over $45,000 in salary adjustments to women employed at the Boca Raton facility and will conduct an annual compensation analysis during the term of the conciliation agreement.
OFCCP recently launched the Class Member Locator. The purpose of the CML is to identify applicants and/or workers who have been impacted by OFCCP’s compliance evaluations and complaint investigations and who may be entitled to monetary relief and/or consideration for job placement. Females who are or were employed in an operational leadership exempt job at LexisNexis in Boca Raton or Alpharetta on December 31, 2012, can visit http://www.dol.gov/ofccp/CML/index.htm or call 855-216-0427 to file a claim.
The company released an official statement after this story appeared. Here it is, in its entirety:
LexisNexis Risk Solutions is committed to ensuring all employees are treated fairly and afforded equal employment opportunities. The OFCCP’s findings were not based on any individual complaints; rather they were derived from statistical analysis conducted by the agency. The company disagrees with the OFCCP’s findings and does not believe it violated any federal laws. After three and a half years of cooperation during the agency’s review, we ultimately agreed to the settlement to avoid committing additional time and resources for continued legal proceedings.
