Wal-Mart Waits for a High-Stakes Ruling

Filed in June 2001, the case against Wal-Mart focuses on the experiences of seven named plaintiffs, each of whom say they were denied promotions or pay raises while working at Wal-Mart. Despite making known their desire to move up in Wal-Mart's ranks, they were consistently passed over in favor of male colleagues, according to the suit.

Some, who had access to pay records at Wal-Mart, say that they and fellow women colleagues were paid less than men working comparable jobs. Additionally, several say they had to contend with sexually inappropriate comments from colleagues and harassment from superiors when they complained.

The case alleges that the experiences of these women are representative of those of female workers at Wal-Mart. The plaintiffs back up this charge with statistics that show that women account for 67% of the hourly workforce at Wal-Mart but only 35% of assistant managers, the lowest level of salaried workers at the company. At higher-level positions, women compose an even smaller minority, according to the plaintiffs' data. Those statistics and the experiences of the seven women show that Wal-Mart systematically discriminates against female employees in terms of compensation and promotions, the plaintiffs charge.

The disparities are caused by Wal-Mart's culture, according to the plaintiffs. Although the company tends to promote from within, those who get promoted are most often men. Until recently, the company used a subjective system for promotions, instead of spelling out objective criteria, the plaintiffs say. And rather than posting job openings for management positions so that anyone could apply for them, the company often kept information about new openings quiet, simply tapping the shoulders of those it wanted to promote, they say.