UM profs got same promotion. But her new pay was less than his, feds say
A University of Miami political science professor was paid less than her male counterpart even though both professors received full professorship at the same time and got similar reviews, a federal complaint alleges.
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said an email seen by the female professor, Louise Davidson-Schmich, confirmed her suspicion that that the university “was treating her less favorably than male faculty, specifically by paying her less than her male counterpart,” the commission said in its filing.
“In May 2018, via an email inadvertently sent to [Davidson-Schmich], [she] learned that UM paid her $112,400 in salary for the academic year, while UM paid [John Gregory] Koger $137,366 during the academic year for equal and/or similar work as full professors in the Department of Political Science,” the suit states.
Davidson-Schmich repeatedly complained to the university, but the pay disparity continued, the suit alleges.
Davidson-Schmich, as well as the male professor, Koger, were not available for comment. The University of Miami said it did not comment on pending litigation.
“Employers often get away with wage discrimination because of the secrecy around employee compensation,” said EEOC Regional Attorney Robert E. Weisberg. “In this case, an email confirmed what the professor had already suspected — that she was not being treated equally to her male colleagues. The EEOC will fight vigorously to enforce her rights.”
EEOC District Director Michael Farrell added, “This is a case of a female employee’s work being given less value compared to her male colleague.”
Women in Miami-Dade make 85 cents for every dollar a man earns, a recent Florida International University study found, mirroring national trends.
This story was originally published August 1, 2019 at 11:50 AM.
