Today is an important day for pay equity and workers’ rights as the U.S. Supreme Court hears oral arguments in the Wal-Mart v. Dukes case. AAUW supported the lead plaintiffs financially through the AAUW Legal Advocacy Fund and by signing an amicus brief earlier this month. The generous support of AAUW members ensured that the plaintiffs could attend the oral arguments.
The Supreme Court will determine whether the case can be filed as a class-action suit. Lead plaintiff Betty Dukes, a current Wal-Mart employee, has alleged gender discrimination in pay and promotion policies and practices in Wal-Mart stores. If she and the other plaintiffs prevail, their case will become the largest class-action civil rights suit in the nation’s history, representing approximately 1.6 million Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club employees. A lower court will hear the discrimination allegations after the Supreme Court’s ruling.
AAUW supports class certification because it allows workers to band together to fight discrimination. Such cases can also send a strong message to employers to follow the law in the first place.
Co-plaintiff Edith Arana
“AAUW isn’t just proud to support these women; we believe it’s absolutely necessary. Alone, Betty and her co-workers stand before a corporate Goliath, each woman burdened with enormous legal fees and without the moral support that a class action provides,” said AAUW Executive Director Linda D. Hallman.
“This case illuminates the dirty little secret that women know all too well — that pay discrimination is alive and well and undermining the economic security of American families,” said AAUW Director of Public Policy and Government Relations Lisa Maatz. “Betty Dukes and the other plaintiffs are proof positive of the systemic problem in American workplaces that sometimes people are paid differently simply because of their gender.”
The alleged gender discrimination in pay and promotions in this case contributed to AAUW’s decision to support the lead plaintiffs. The Legal Advocacy Fund offers financial and organizational support for workplace- and academia-based cases that have the potential to set a significant precedent for all women. Since 1981, LAF has disbursed nearly $2 million to more than 100 sex discrimination cases to help offset legal fees. This support has been instrumental to the success of many cases.
Check back later this week for LAF Program Manager Holly Kearl’s interview with the women who are suing Wal-Mart.
AAUW Dialog 
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