Real Story of Discriminatory Pay

Shellee worked as a bus driver for a number of years beginning in 1996. Among other duties, she performed basic maintenance work, such as washing, fueling, and repairing buses. In 2001, the company hired a male employee who took over a large portion of these duties, although Shellee continued to do them also. The new male employee was paid $8 an hour, while Shellee was paid only $7 an hour for the exact same work. When Shellee brought suit, her employer claimed that the difference was the result of a mistake by an office worker. Shellee was able to show that the office worker had no ability to set the rate of pay, and it was actually the employer that did so. She met her burden of proof.

Dykstra v. First Student, Inc., 324 F.Supp.2d 54, (D. Me 2004).