Pharmaceutical Giant Facing Yet Another Lawsuit for Sexual Discrimination

Most are surprised to learn that it has been federal law for more than fifty years for women to receive the same pay and employment benefits as men. Even the most sophisticated, well-financed companies are still showing disregard for this law. Novartis paid out more than $150 million just a few years ago for sexual discrimination against their salespeople. It seems like this lawsuit did not teach them a lesson—they are facing yet another sexual discrimination class action lawsuit from their female employees.

The plaintiffs in the most recent lawsuit are seeking $110 million for creating a “boys’ club” atmosphere in the workplace. The NYC sexual discrimination attorneys allege that Alcon uses subjective metrics in employee reviews. Using subjective metrics in performance reviews justified paying the women less and giving them smaller bonuses. Basically, because of their male-dominated work environment, women were not given an equal chance to earn a fair wage the same way that their male counterparts could.

Companies can learn a lot from Novartis’ failure to adhere to New York and federal sexual discrimination laws. Employers should look critically at their wage structures and how they are deciding on wages. If they use annual reviews to determine bonuses and raises, then they need to make sure that the reviews rely as heavily on objective criteria as possible. Sexual discrimination attorneys in New York take on policies that unfairly discriminate against women to recover the lost wages they deserve. The more objective that a company’s policy is, the harder that it is to prove that sexual discrimination has occurred.

Sexual discrimination is still an epidemic in the American workplace. The wage discrepancies between sexes is only a more subtle means of preventing women from advancing in their careers. The law signed by President Kennedy has not done much to fix the problem—it does at least give New York employee rights attorneys a means of seeking justice for victims of sexual discrimination.

Our NYC sex discrimination attorneys at Hepworth, Gershbaum & Roth offer free initial consultations that are completely confidential. Speak with us about your concerns in your workplace. You can set up an appointment by calling us at 212-545-1199 or contact us online.