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Pennsylvania State University will pay $703,742 in back wages and interest to dozens of female employees who alleged they were paid less than their male counterparts, the U.S. Department of Labor announced Wednesday.
A compliance review conducted by the department found that since 2020, Penn State paid 65 women less than men holding similar jobs in facilities, extension education and senior administration; a handful of female faculty were also affected, according to the settlement.
Penn State did not admit to any violations in the settlement; Suzanne Adair, the university’s vice president for equal opportunity and access, attributed the review’s findings to “unintentional pay discrepancies,” The Centre Daily Times reported.
“While the number of affected employees was small relative to the overall campus population, the University takes such matters seriously and worked diligently with the government to reach a resolution that fairly compensated the affected women,” said Adair. “We appreciate the government’s efforts and are pleased that the audit identified the pay anomalies so that corrective action could be taken.”
Individual payouts to the impacted women range from $2,432 to $47,241, according to The Centre Daily Times.
As part of the settlement, Penn State also agreed to work to ensure that its compensation and pay practices are free from discrimination.
“Employers that hold federal contracts must provide all employees with equal employment opportunities and audit their employment processes to make certain no barriers to equal employment exist,” said Samuel Maiden, the mid-Atlantic regional director for the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs.
