Wal-Mart's Sex Discrimination Class Action Suit Doesn't Stop NAFE Recognition

National Women's Association Rewards Wal-Mart's Treatment of Female Employees

Discount retail giant Wal-Mart earned a spot on the "Top 50 Companies for Executive Women" list in 2009, despite being embroiled in a record-breaking sex discrimination class action lawsuit.

The National Association of Female Executives (NAFE) honored Wal-Mart for its outstanding treatment of female employees with a spot on their annual list, but the claims of two million current and former female employees in the unresolved class action suit against the retailer suggest that Wal-Mart might not be as female-friendly as the NAFE recognition suggests.

In appeals court in March, 2009, Wal-Mart did not argue that the sexual discrimination claims of the record-breaking two million female plaintiffs were unfounded, but rather the retail giant challenged the right of this massive group of women to band together in the action. Wal-Mart has been defending itself for nearly a decade against this case, which has grown to be the largest class action suit in U.S. history. Several legal experts have characterized Wal-Mart’s most recent court appeal as just another maneuver in a long series of legal stall tactics.

The female plaintiffs in this case claim they have been paid and promoted less than their male Wal-Mart co-workers, and the women are seeking back pay and punitive damages from the world's largest retailer.

Of course, this is America and every defendant is innocent until proven guilty, even if it is the word of two million employees against the word of one gigantic and extremely powerful employer. It’s getting more and more difficult. however, to remain neutral with Wal-Mart when it comes to class action lawsuits. More...