G4S Youth Services Sued by EEOC For Pay Discrimination

Female Facility Investigator Paid Less Than Male in the Same Position, Federal Agency Charges

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - G4S Youth Services, a former manager of programs and services at a juvenile correction and detention facility in Alexander, Ark., violated federal law by paying a female facility investigator less than it paid the male employee who formerly held the position, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit filed today.

According to the EEOC's lawsuit, G4S Youth Services initially hired a male employee into the facility investigator position. After less than six months, a female employee replaced the male in that position. The company, however, paid her $10,000 less per year than it paid the male. Approximately a year later, the woman learned of the pay disparity and requested equal pay, but G4S Youth Services never increased her pay.

The Equal Pay Act of 1963 prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in the payment of wages. Pay discrimination also violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits employment discrimination, including compensation, on the basis of sex. The EEOC filed suit (EEOC v. G4S Youth Services, LLC., Civil Action No. 4:17-cv-387-SWW) in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas, Western Division, after its Little Rock Area Office completed an investigation and after the agency first attempted to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its conciliation process. The EEOC seeks injunctive relief prohibiting G4S Youth Services from discriminating against female employees in the future, as well as monetary damages, including back pay, liquidated damages and compensatory and punitive damages.

"As we approach the 54th anniversary of the Equal Pay Act, we are reminded of President Kennedy's remark that Congress passed the law 'to call attention to the unconscionable practice of paying female employees less wages than male employees for the same job," said Katharine W. Kores, district director of the EEOC's Memphis District Office, which has jurisdiction over Arkansas, Tennessee and portions of Mississippi. "Companies must pay women equal wages for equal work. In 2016, the EEOC received over 1,000 charges alleging violation of the EPA, which shows that we have our work cut out for us. The EEOC remains committed to eradicating all gender-based discrimination."

G4S Youth Services, LLC, managed programs and services for a juvenile correction and detention facility in Alexander, Ark. According to its website, G4S's parent company, G4S Secure Solutions (USA) Inc., is based in Florida and employs over 50,000 people in the United States and Canada.

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.