EEOC Sues Kansas City Nursing Home for Paying a Female Nurse Less than Male Nurses

Edgewood Manor in Raytown Violated Equal Pay Act, Federal Agency Charges

LOUIS - By paying a female nurse less than two male nurses performing the same job, Edgewood Manor Center for Rehab and Healthcare, in Raytown, Mo., a Kansas City suburb, violated federal law, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit it filed today.

According to the EEOC, Maisha Hill, a licensed practical nurse (LPN), was hired in March 2017 by Edgewood Manor at the rate of $21 per hour. Two male LPNs performing the same job were paid $25 per hour. According to the suit, Edgewood Manor admitted it should have paid Hill $25 per hour.

Such alleged conduct violates the Equal Pay Act of 1963, which prohibits employers from paying women and men differently for doing a job with the same required skill, effort, responsibility, and working conditions, unless the employer relies on a factor other than sex for the pay differential. The EEOC filed its lawsuit (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Edgewood Manor OPCO LLC, Civil Action No. 4:19-cv-00760), in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri. after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its conciliation process. The EEOC seeks back pay and other monetary relief for Hill, declaratory judgment, and an order preventing future discrimination.

"The fact that it's still necessary to enforce the Equal Pay Act 56 years after its passage is astonishing," said Andrea G. Baran, the EEOC's regional attorney in St. Louis. "But the EEOC is dedicated to enforcing the law against both public and private employers who it finds have violated this key civil rights statute."

Jack Vasquez, Jr., director of the EEOC's St. Louis District Office, said, "Women continue to make, on average, less than men. This nurse was paid 84% of what the male nurses made. We must ensure that unjustified pay disparities between men and women do not endure, and the EEOC will pursue all enforcement means to ensure an equal playing field."

The EEOC is responsible for enforcing federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. The St. Louis District Office oversees Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and a portion of southern Illinois.

The EEOC advances opportunity in the workplace by enforcing federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. More information is available at www.eeoc.gov. Stay connected with the latest EEOC news by subscribing to our email updates.