HP Class Action Lawsuit Says Women Employees are Paid Less

Two former employees have filed a class action lawsuit against Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co. (HP) over allegations that the company pays women less than their male counterparts.

The HP class action lawsuit claims that the gender pay gap is not the only issue, as the tech giant also employs far fewer women than men.

According to the plaintiffs, HP technicians are overwhelmingly male, with only 17 percent of the positions going to women.

Women do dominate often lower-paying administrative positions, however, notes the Hewlett Packard class action lawsuit.

“In this regard, HPE is the epitome of a company in a male­-dominated industry, in this case, technology and technology sales,” alleges the HP employment class action lawsuit.

HP is an information technology company based in Palo Alto, Calif.

According to the HP gender pay gap class action lawsuit, there are several ways the company exacerbates the unequal pay between its male and female employees. The plaintiffs allege that the HP’s policies and practices regarding pay do not result in equal pay.

Since a worker’s initial pay rate is determined by prior compensation, women employed by HP are generally always set at a lower pay rate than men, even though they may be in similar positions. This problem is made worse as raises and promotions inflate the difference, the HP class action states.

“HPE’s lack of transparency obstructs progress toward elimination of the gender pay gap. Unlike, for example, Salesforce.com, another large technology and technology sales company based in Silicon Valley, HPE does not publically identify specific measures taken to address the gender pay gap,” alleges the HP gender pay gap class action lawsuit.

“Instead, through its website, HPE advises employees to keep their compensation to themselves, stating ‘Don’t compare yourselves to your co-workers[.] Your compensation should be about you and your performance.’”

These policies and practices occur on a backdrop of stereotypes about the types of jobs women and men are capable of doing, alleges the HP gender pay gap class action lawsuit.

HP “perpetuates the historic pay disparity between men and women” with its compensation practices, say the plaintiffs.

The plaintiffs include two former HP employees who identified by their initials and last names in the HP class action lawsuit.

The HP gender pay gap class action lawsuit seeks to represent women employed by HP who have held various positions in Engineering, Information Technology, and Design (Software Engineer Positions; Engineer Positions; Software Manager Positions;); Administration, Finance, and Legal; Operations; (Sales Positions; Director of Operations Positions), Public Relations, Marketing, and Sales (Sales Positions; Director of Operations Positions); and Human Relations and Development.

HP’s compensation policies violate that California Equal Pay Act, alleges the Hewlett Packard class action lawsuit. The plaintiffs are seeking lost wages and compensation, penalties, and a court order requiring the company to rectify its pay policies.

The former employees are represented by Caleb Marker, Hannah B. Fernandez and J. Gordon Rudd Jr. of Zimmerman Reed LLP, and Eric N. Linsk of Lockridge Grindal Nauen PLLP.

The HP Gender Pay Gap Class Action Lawsuit is R. Ross and C. Rogus v. Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co., Case No. unknown, in the Superior Court of the State of California County of Santa Clara.