2 Women Sued Apple for Paying Women Less in California

Apple is facing a big problem. On Thursday, two women sued Apple, saying the company pays women less than men. These women have worked at Apple for more than ten years. They believe that Apple does not pay women fairly in its engineering, marketing, and AppleCare jobs.

How Does Apple Decide Pay?

Apple looks at what workers earned at their old jobs or what they think they should be paid. This often means women get paid less because they usually ask for lower pay than men. The lawsuit also says that Apple’s way of giving raises and bonuses is unfair to women.

What Apple Says

Apple, based in Cupertino, California, says it wants to be fair and equal. Since 2017, Apple says it has made sure men and women get paid the same. Every year, they check everyone’s pay to make sure it is fair.

Lawyers for the Women

Eve Cervantez, one of the women’s lawyers, says Apple’s way of paying people keeps women at a disadvantage. She says this is very bad for women who work at Apple. The women are getting help from big law firms that have won large amounts of money in other cases where companies were unfair to women. For example, last year, they helped women get $215 million from Goldman Sachs, and in 2022, they got $175 million from Sterling Jewelers. Both companies said they did nothing wrong.

California’s Rules on Pay

Since 2018, California does not let employers ask about a person’s old pay. This rule is to stop unfair pay differences based on gender and race. But the lawsuit says Apple uses what people expect to be paid instead. This still leads to women being paid less because they usually ask for less money than men.

Apple’s “Talent” Rewards

Apple also pays more to employees they think have special talent. But the lawsuit claims Apple calls more men “talented” than women, which leads to men being paid more.

Breaking the Law?

The lawsuit says Apple is breaking California’s Equal Pay Act, which says men and women should be paid the same for the same work. It also says Apple is breaking other laws about treating women fairly at work.

One Woman’s Story

One of the women suing Apple is named Justina Jong. She says Apple did not let her move to a different team after she complained about a coworker harassing her. The lawsuit asks for money and other penalties for Apple.

What Does This Mean?

This lawsuit is important because it shows that even big companies like Apple can have problems with fair pay. It reminds us that everyone should be paid fairly for their work, no matter if they are a man or a woman.