As readers of this blog know, pay equity laws and regulations
are expanding rapidly in the U.S. at both the
federal and
local level, as well as
internationally. And while regulatory compliance is critical
and remains an area to watch (and we'll keep covering it for
you here), employers can take a short breath of relief after a
recent victory in one of the key proving grounds for equal pay
claims—class and collective action litigation.
On March 29, 2019, in Ahad v. Board of Trustees of
Southern Illinois University, the U.S. District Court for
the Central District of Illinois decertified an equal pay collective action
brought by a group of female physicians. Although the plaintiff
alleged that she and other female physicians were paid less than
male comparators for equal or similar work under the same
compensation plan, Judge Sue E. Myerscough concluded that the
opt-in members of the collective action had widely varying
practices, duties, and compensation
