Discrimination and Retaliation

Betty Dukes was a cashier who used to work at Wal-Mart. For nine years Ms. Dukes worked thorny and aspired to range up the ranks in the company. She panorama that if she became loyal and dedicated to her job she get out wholeness day black market to a higher(prenominal) position in the company. The time came that she felt that she was clear for the next challenge. She came up to her immediate supervisor and asked to be trained for the higher job (Daniels, 2004). Unfortunately she was denied being effrontery the training needed to consort up the order.This incident triggered what now is the biggest class consummation sex disagreement shell in the United States. Widely known as the Dukes vs. Wal-Mart Inc, this lawsuit charges Wal-Mart of committing sex-discriminatory practice against their employees especially women. Upheld in June 2004 to be a class action lawsuit, this case covers over 1. 5 million current and former employees at Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart appealed the district c ourts decision n constantlytheless on February 2007, the ninth Circuit affirmed the courts class certification.The U. S. Equal study Opportunity Commission or EEOC helped in this case. The commission is the federal fortify of the government with the sole agenda of ensuring that equal employment opportunity is upset awayn to every individual. The EEOC has the power of prosecuting work related discriminatory cases against companies or employers who brace been accused of doing such a thing. They enforce the laws that protect employees from discriminatory practices. Dukes vs. Wal-Mart Inc. is basically a sex- favoritism case.This lawsuit accuses Wal-Mart of choosing which employee willing be given the chance to move up the corporate ladder. Under Title VII of the Civil Rights coiffe of 1964, it is prohibited to give employment dissimilarity based on race, color, sex, religion, or national origin (U. S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 2004). Any soul who has the abil ity and capability of advancing in the company should be enured fairly. This sense of fairness is what Ms. Dukes did not felt while working at Wal-Mart. Another act which Wal-Mart violated is the Equal Pay Act of 1963.Under this law, women and flat men argon protected from sex-based wage secernment. Men and women who basically do the same job should also bemuse the exact same add together of wage. Wal-Mart is being criticized for violation this act. The company clearly showed its bias towards its phallic employees by giving them higher wage against their female counterparts. Ask Ms. Stephanie Odle about this since she see this discrimination first hand. Ms. Odle accidentally found a W-2 form untruth around the office which belongs to her male officemate, an assistant manager just the likes of her.They have basically the same job but the wage of the male assistant manager was significantly higher than her wage (Daniels, 2004). There are many other discriminatory practices tha t Wal-Mart exercises, but based on the two above examples, EEOC has every right to prosecute Wal-Mart. On my opinion a fair settlement on a case like this is give the victims what they are really due. Wal-Mart must pay each individual who have been victim of its bias towards its male and white workers. No ifs or buts for Wal-Mart because the bills really belongs to their underpaid workers.Since we are talking about multi billions of dollars, it is also fair to give Wal-Mart a feasible amount of time to pay. I esteem it is comely to let Wal-Mart pay in installments. Another option for Wal-Mart is to give their victims a few thousands of dollars worth of gift certificates every month which can be used at Wal-Mart and all of its other subsidiaries. Lastly I think Wal-Mart also owes all its victims an apology for all the wrongdoings and hurt that they have caused. contrariety should not be happening in the first come to the fore but since we are not living in a perfect world, disc rimination will always be there.In an organization, the best way to battle discrimination is prevention. If an organization prevents it from happening then class action lawsuits like the one discussed above may never happen again. Organizations can fight discrimination by having a stronger policy against it. Companies should setup its own committee which will look for the welfare of their employees. This committee will also be responsible for(p) for hiring and promoting employees instead of giving this task to a single somebody which is the round opposite at the scenario at Wal-Mart.At Wal-Mart, managers have the sole power of hiring and promoting. With this privilege, a manager can be bias consciously or unconsciously on making decisions based on his or her preferences (Parloff, 2007). Its hard to fight discrimination but it is not an unbeatable foe. Every person must just have an open mind, a mind that will look beyond color, race, sex or religion. Discrimination has no place in the school, community, work place or wherever. Discrimination should just end up to exist and let no one fell prey to it ever again.