×

NMU accused of gender discrimination in federal suit

A sign on Northern Michigan University's campus in Marquette is shown. (Journal file photo)

MARQUETTE — A lawsuit filed Feb. 8 against Northern Michigan University by four female professors alleges NMU violated federal equal pay and gender discrimination laws.

In the lawsuit — filed with the U.S. District Court, Western District of Michigan, Northern Division — the instructors, Claudia Hart, Carol Steinhaus, Karin Stulz and Margaret Vroman, claim the NMU College of Business significantly underpays its female faculty compared with their male colleagues and denies them equal opportunities for tenure and other benefits.

The professors are represented by the law firm Sterling Attorneys at Law P.C., based in downstate Bloomfield Hills.

According to the lawsuit, the plaintiffs in September 2016 filed separate charges with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission alleging NMU discriminated against them on the basis of their gender by paying them less than their male counterparts. Following an investigation into the allegations, the EEOC determined NMU discriminated against the plaintiffs in violation of the Equal Pay Act of 1963 and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Around last Aug. 24, the EEOC notified the plaintiffs and NMU of its determination and gave the school an opportunity to remedy the alleged discriminatory practices through the EEOC conciliation process.

Derek Hall, NMU chief marketing officer, said in an email that NMU received the complaint on Wednesday, and that legal counsel is reviewing it. As a practice, NMU will not comment on details of pending litigation or personnel matters.

NMU officials recently attended a conciliation meeting with an EEOC mediator seeking to resolve the fair employment complaint, with the complainants disregarding the EEOC’s suggested parameters for a possible settlement. Thus, no agreement was made and the process continues.

“NMU hopes to work towards a resolution in a timely manner,” Hall said. “Faculty salaries are dependent upon credentials, degrees, teaching area and research and are based upon negotiated formulas with the faculty union. NMU officials comply with the collective bargaining agreement.”

The EEOC notified the plaintiffs by letter around Dec. 18 that their cases were referred to the U.S. Department of Justice for review to determine if the DOJ would bring a Title VII lawsuit on their behalf.

The letter further stated if the DOJ declined to file suit against NMU after concluding its review, the DOJ would issue plaintiffs a Right to Sue letter entitling them to sue under Title VII.

The DOJ continues to review the allegations.

The lawsuit states Hart began working at NMU in August 1981 and is the longest-serving faculty member in the College of Business. Steinhaus began working at NMU in August 2001 while Stulz began her employment with the university in August 1989. Vroman started work at NMU in August 2008.

Hart, Steinhaus and Vroman are professors while Stulz is an associate professor.

Of the 22 faculty members in the College of Business, 15 are male.

The lawsuit alleges Hart, Steinhaus and Vroman are the only female faculty members in the College of Business with the rank of professor and currently earn about 9 percent less than the male professors on average. Stulz is the only female faculty member with the associate professor rank but earns roughly 39 percent less than the male associate professors on average.

In 2016, Hart and Steinhaus were the only female faculty members in the College of Business with the rank of professor and earned about 15 percent less than their male counterparts on average. Also that year, Vroman was the only female faculty member with the associate professor rank and earned on average 19.5 percent less than the male average professors.

Stulz in 2016 was the only female faculty member with the rank of assistant professor and earned approximately 71.5 percent less than the male assistant professors on average.

The suit also alleges that over the last 12 years, the average male salary in the College of Business “significantly exceeds” the average female salary across all ranks and disciplines, a disparity that exists despite the plaintiffs performing equal work under similar conditions.

The allegations include the College of Business giving male faculty members preference in choosing the classes they teach and treating male faculty better than female faculty in terms of meeting qualifications for tenure. Another allegation is the College of Business awards tenure track positions to male faculty instead of equally or more qualified female faculty.

According to the lawsuit, when plaintiffs complained to NMU administration about gender discrimination, several male faculty members retaliated against them by disparaging their work, canceling their classes and programs, or increasing their workloads without additional compensation.

Newsletter

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper *
   

Starting at $4.62/week.

Subscribe Today