The U.S. Department of Justice is taking Texas to court for allowing an agricultural office to pay women significantly less money than their male counterparts.

 

Three former female employees of the now-defunct Texas Department of Rural Affairs (TDRA) complained that their salaries were not on par with men working the same jobs. TDRA acknowledged the discrepancy and gave the women raises. However they still received significantly less than their male counterparts.

 

As Program Specialist VIIs in the Disaster Recovery Division, Monica Bosquez Mota, Tina Lewis and Dalinda Newby were paid between $62,000 and $72,522 a year. However, men who also were Program Specialist VIIs earned between $79,631 and $95,157 a year. A Program Specialist VII serves as a senior-level consultant, training, leading and assigning work to others.

 

After complaining again about the unequal pay, the women were fired by the TDRA, according to the federal complaint.

 

The Justice Department has named the Texas Department of Agriculture and Texas General Land Office as defendants, due to the fact that they took over for the TDRA after it ceased to exist.

-Noel Brinkerhoff, David Wallechinsky

 

Justice Department Files Complaint Against Two Texas State Agencies for Pay Discrimination (U.S. Department of Justice)

USA Sues Texas for Underpaying Women (Courthouse News Service)

United States v. Texas Department of Agriculture (U.S. District Court, Western Texas, Austin) (pdf)