Pay Bias May be Problem at University
A complaint has been lodged against the University that black employees in building services are being paid less than white workers with similar levels of experience.The University is aware of one employee having formally filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, said Mike Clardy, University spokesman.However, City Councilman Arthur Dowdell said he is representing between six and 10 employees who think they have been discriminated against by the University."It's clear with the records that we're going to show that blacks are being paid hundreds of dollars less than whites that work in the same position," Dowdell said.Dowdell said he has looked into University records and claims the figures clearly show black employees are being paid less than white employees.Dowdell said he thinks the issue of pay discrimination at the University is not isolated to the building services department.Dowdell said he had written the University about three weeks ago to notify it of the employees' demands; however, he has not been satisfied with the University's response. "They said that they had a team, affirmative action, in personnel that would look at this situation and they would get back in touch with me," Dowdell said.
