In the United States, Female Costco Employees Collectively Sue Their Employer for Gender Discrimination

On January 11, 2007, a federal judge has granted the status of class action to a lawsuit for gender discrimination initiated against Costco Wholesale back in 2004. The plaintiffs support that women who wish to accede to managerial positions are victims of systemic discrimination; only 12.9% of store managers and 16.6% of manager assistants are women, while they represent 45% of the retailer’s workforce. All American Costco employees, current or former, who, since January 3, 2002, consider that they were denied promotions because of their gender can be represented in this lawsuit.

These charges can only tarnish Costco’s image, which has the reputation of being friendlier to its employees than most of its competitors, including Wal-Mart, with more generous salaries and benefits. Besides, it is necessary to remember that Wal-Mart is presently the object of the most important gender discrimination lawsuit in the United States; this class action was initiated in the name of 1.6 million current and former Wal-Mart employees and could cost the company millions of dollars.