BALTIMORE — The Enoch Pratt Free Library and Baltimore City have been ordered to pay almost $200,000 to five female librarian supervisors, after a court ruled that they were paid less because of sex.
According to the suit filed in September 2017, Enoch Pratt Library rehired a man in June 2015 as a Librarian Supervisor I at a salary which was thousands more than that paid to the five women who held that position even though the man had fewer years of service and experience.
U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis rejected the Library’s argument that the man and women Librarian Supervisor Is did not perform the same work, noting that the Library treats Librarian Supervisor Is as “fungible” by not recruiting for specific branches and transferring them from branch to branch on short and long-term bases.
Judge Xinis also rejected the Library’s argument that the salary disparity was based on a reason unrelated to sex, finding that the Library had failed to produce any evidence to explain the man’s higher salary.
In addition to awarding full back pay to the five women Librarian Supervisor Is, Judge Xinis also awarded liquidated damages in an amount equal because the defendants failed to show that the pay disparity was in good faith and that they had reasonable grounds to believe that they were not violating the law.
The Court also ordered appropriate adjustments to the womens' retirement benefits in light of the award of back wages.
