Four women sue Nike for violating equal pay acts

Four women have filed a class action suit against Nike for violating the Federal Equal Pay Act, the Oregon Equal Pay Act, and the Oregon Equality Act, the Oregonian reports. The lawsuit comes four months after the New York Times published an in-depth investigation into the sportswear giant’s toxic work culture, and five months after the resignation of its former president, Trevor Edwards.

The plaintiffs allege that Edwards was removed from the company for exacerbating and causing “a hostile workplace environment toward women,” according to the Oregonian story. One of the complainants, a former brand marketing director for Nike.com, alleges that Nike paid her $20,000 less than a male counterpart who was doing the same work, the report says. When the human resources department took no action, she left the company for competitor Adidas. Another former employee—also a plaintiff in the lawsuit—claims in the suit that a male coworker acted hostile toward her when she rebuked his sexual advances.

The lawsuit suit did not ask for specific monetary damages, but demanded an injunction to stop Nike’s discriminatory work practices. As Fast Company‘s Liz Segran previously reported, Nike employees recently received an internal memo stating that the company was changing its compensation program to work toward their diversity and equality goals.