Effingham Truck Sales denies the allegations but refuses to comment further because, it says, the case is in litigation. For Burton, the experience has been traumatic. The women I know are the most loyal employees, and they're also the most underpaid. As Burton knows well, it's difficult to challenge the status quo. Though salaries of government workers are public information, there is no law requiring private employers to disclose what they pay to employees, so it is often hard to ferret out the differences.
Lawsuits can be time-consuming and costly.
And, a very big problem, women who stir things up risk losing their jobs. Some ways to challenge unequal pay have been opened that make it easier. The federal EEOC allows workers to file complaints and if evidence of discrimination is found, the EEOC sues the company at public expense. The number of complaints that resulted in lawsuits dropped from 79 in 1980 to just two in 1992, the National Committee on Pay Equity reports. Enforcement has also been weak in other areas.