Blackboard Accused of Pay Discrimination by Female Sales Employees

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Blackboard Inc. finds itself staring down a proposed collective action that alleges the education technology company paid its female salespeople less than their male counterparts despite performing “virtually identical jobs.”

Behind the suit are two former saleswomen who were responsible for selling educational software packages to schools in their assigned geographic territories. The case alleges that Blackboard, which bills itself as the “#1 Global Education Software Provider,” knowingly maintained a “stark disparity” in pay between male and female salespeople despite the only difference in workers’ jobs being the size of schools and school districts they served.

“While they served different market segments and territories, these roles were interchangeable and identical in skill, effort, responsibility, and working conditions,” the complaint reads while emphasizing that the defendant is legally required to provide employees with equal pay for equal work.

According to the lawsuit, the plaintiffs were paid less than several of their male co-workers despite serving similarly sized or even larger schools. One plaintiff even claims she held the same director title as her male counterpart yet received a $75,000 base salary while the male director was paid $120,000. While both employees served schools of the same size, the lawsuit notes that the male director “did not have as much relevant experience as any of the Female Sales Employees.” Worse yet, the complaint claims that male salespeople were eligible for $50,000 bonuses that “were not available” to female workers.

In sum, the case charges that Blackboard violated the Equal Pay Act with its intentional practice of favoring male employees.