Vice sued for alleged gender-based pay discrimination

A female former employee of Vice Media filed a lawsuit against the company on Tuesday alleging that the digital media giant practices systemic pay discrimination against female staffers.

The lawsuit from Elizabeth Rose, who worked at Vice from 2014 to 2016 in a management position, accuses the company of violating the Federal Equal Pay Act and similar laws in New York and California by consistently paying women less than their male counterparts.

The Los Angeles Times first reported the lawsuit.

{mosads}In one instance, Rose alleges that a male subordinate she hired made about $25,000 more per year then she did. The man was later promoted to be her supervisor, according to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit also alleges that, after reviewing internal memos that showed the salaries of a few dozen employees, Rose found there was a pay disparity among men and women who did similar work, according to the lawsuit.

Rose’s lawsuit asks the judge to grant the lawsuit class-action status, and to compel Vice Media to compensate those affected by the alleged pay disparity.

A spokesperson for Vice said in a statement that the company is reviewing the complaint.

“As a company, we have made a significant commitment to a respectful, inclusive and equal workplace,” the spokesperson said. “That commitment includes a pay parity audit started last year, a goal of 50/50 female/male representation at every level by 2020, and the formation of a Diversity & Inclusion Advisory Board.”

The pay gap lawsuit is the latest blow for Vice Media, which The Wall Street Journal reported last week missed its revenue target in 2017 by more than $100 million. The performance was largely attributed to the company’s Viceland cable TV channel.

Late last year, The New York Times reported on several sexual harassment incidents within the company. The report detailed multiple settlements for sexual harassment cases at the company, including one against company president Andrew Creighton.

Updated at 4:33 p.m.