American Express says the complaints, which it believes will be rejected, don't comport with the firm's track record. American Express has long been recognized as a rewarding workplace for women, minorities and older people. But discontent in the ranks is nothing new at the firm. And in recent controversial defections, key male advisers with hefty client portfolios left the firm, unhappy over compensation and company products. The women's cases center on the argument that the company gives men, particularly young white males, more advantages in finding clients and getting ahead.
Top management has been told of the alleged discrimination but does nothing about it, the women say.
She says superiors took her clients away, demoted her and harassed her. Krieger says management also targeted her because she suffers disabilities, including a sleep disorder and carpal tunnel syndrome. According to Krieger, Lurz's son, Mark, her immediate supervisor, occasionally stood outside her door to demand that she finish meetings quickly. Once, he tossed in a paper airplane containing a message to cut things off. She also says he followed her to the bathroom to remind her that she had work to do.