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Hospital fined for paying women housekeepers less than men

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Lahey Clinic Hospital Inc. will pay $190,000 to settle charges that it paid 38 female housekeepers in its Burlington, Massachusetts, medical center 70 cents less per hour than their male counterparts, said the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs.

The OFCCP said Thursday that its investigators determined that from 2010 to 2012, the Lahey Clinic failed to pay certain female housekeepers, predominantly Haitian Creole-speaking African-Americans, the same rate as their male counterparts.

The department said in its statement that in 2009, Lahey paid $136,000 to settle OFCCP charges affecting 18 minorities, mostly Hispanic and Asian-Americans, who applied and were rejected for secretarial positions.

“While 70 cents might not seem like much, over the course of a year it adds up to a $1,500 disparity,” said OFCCP Director Patricia A Shiu, in a statement. “Workers don’t often know how their pay compares with that of their colleagues, and discrimination like this is often hidden. That’s why OFCCP’s ability to audit and review contractors’ pay practices is critical to closing the pay gap once and for all.”

Referring to the more recent settlement, David Spackman, Lahey Health and Medical Center’s general counsel and senior vice president of government relations, said in a statement, “While we strongly deny acting unlawfully or unfairly in compensating any of our housekeeping staff,” Lahey has agreed to pay the settlement “to avoid the costs and time associated with litigation.”

“We are deeply committed to treating all employees fairly and equally, providing an environment free from discrimination and to the ongoing development of a diverse workforce,” Mr. Spackman said in the statement.

Last year, the Labor Department proposed a rule that would prohibit federal contractors from maintaining pay secrecy policies.

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