Lab responds to employee class action

A case involving alleged employment discrimination moved forward earlier this week. An Alameda County Superior Court judge has granted class action status to six women who filed a lawsuit charging the Regents of the University of California with employment discrimination at the Laboratory.

In response to media inquiries, the Laboratory released the following statement:

"The decision by Judge Ronald Sabraw is limited to the composition of the class and does not address the merits of the plaintiff’s claim. It sets the stage for the examination of additional information and the Laboratory looks forward to a full hearing on the case.
"The Laboratory does not believe there are statistically significant shortfalls in the overall pay rates of female employees. In addition, the pay growth for women over the last six years has exceeded that of men. The Laboratory is also working aggressively to ensure that there are qualified women candidates in the pool of applicants being considered for top management openings.

"The Laboratory takes the issues of its female employees very seriously and evaluates individual areas of concern. But the Laboratory strongly disagrees with the plaintiff’s assertion that there is a Laboratory-wide pattern of discrimination. "