Court Says Female Power Company Workers May Not Proceed With Wage Bias Claims

Four female field representatives for a Minneapolis-based electric and natural gas utility failed on their federal and state law claims of sex-based wage discrimination, as each either left out vital comparator information, failed to address the salary impact of pertinent company policies, or was the highest-paid employee at a single “establishment” under the Equal Pay Act, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit held Dec. 22 (Price v. Northern States Power Co.).

The court affirmed summary judgment to Northern States Power Co. (NSP), now a subsidiary of Xcel Energy Inc., on Paulette Price, Wendy O’Neil, Mary ...