Gender discrimination in pay

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Specializes in Community Health, Med/Surg, ICU Stepdown.

Hi all, this week a male colleague who I oriented disclosed to me that he makes more money than me. Our hospital has ten "steps" in pay. I was hired as "beginning level" since that is the post I applied for (but had 4 years experience) and started at step 2. I move up a step each year, so now I'm on step 4. Recently my boss hired 6 new male nurses, and they were all hired at step 9 or 10, "advanced level". I think the positions they applied for specified advanced, but they all have 1-2 years of experience. They get paid about $24,000 a year more than I do! I have 7 years of experience now and I train all the new hires.

We investigated further and found out all the female nurses are hired at lower steps. A few talked to our boss. She says she can't jump us up the steps, we just automatically move up once a year. All she can control is the step we're hired at, which I guess is related to the job posting we applied for, and somewhat to her discretion (unclear). Many suspect she favors male nurses. All our male coworkers are wonderful, and even joked they will do all the heavy lifting to try to make up for it. They are willing to help us talk to HR and disclose their pay. Does anyone have any recommendations? I thought my salary was fair until I found out about this. I don't want them to make less, I just want equality. Thanks all.

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It's fairly common for newcomers to make more than established employees, no matter the gender. They've already got you, after all.

I managed to negotiate a yearly increase five times higher than the "pay scale allowed" after being told multiple times that it wasn't possible. Sometimes, it's just a matter of knowing your market value.

Some say men are more willing to take the risk of demanding a higher salary, while women are more likely to be "nice" and not push back too hard. I have no idea if that's true, but it sounds like it could be.

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Specializes in Community Health, Med/Surg, ICU Stepdown.

Thanks for the reply! I guess that kind of makes sense... kind of makes me want to quit though! I have an interview at an outpatient surgery center, maybe time to escape covid ICU where the people I train make more than me LOL

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Specializes in NICU.
59 minutes ago, LibraNurse27 said:

I was hired as "beginning level" since that is the post I applied for (but had 4 years experience) and started at step 2.

You agreed to that pay when you were hired. What other nurses (male or female) negotiated when they were hired has no basis on what you accepted.

57 minutes ago, LibraNurse27 said:

They are willing to help us talk to HR and disclose their pay.

HR already has access to your pay rates.

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Specializes in Community Health, Med/Surg, ICU Stepdown.

Yes, I definitely was hired and agreed to be paid what they offered. I am just surprised to find out that others are hired at a much higher salary. But based on what I can see it is all totally legal, and no way for me to advocate to have my pay increased to match theirs, as the paperwork clearly says you can only move up one step per year. So best to just move on and be more careful during the hiring process this year. Thanks for the confirmation.

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Specializes in Psychiatry, Community, Nurse Manager, hospice.

When I found out my male partner was making more than me, I demanded equal pay and I got it.

Fight. Contact the ACLU. Good Luck.

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Specializes in Community Health, Med/Surg, ICU Stepdown.
1 minute ago, FolksBtrippin said:

When I found out my male partner was making more than me, I demanded equal pay and I got it.

Fight. Contact the ACLU. Good Luck.

WOW!! I do understand that I was hired at a certain step and agreed to that salary. I'm just wondering why all the male nurses are highbred at a higher step than any female nurse. I kind of wish I never found out! But, too late now. I can't know about it and not do anything.

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This is why performance based systems for pay are much better than step/union BS. Negotiate from the beginning, this is one of the main reasons I left bedside nursing. I hated the fact that even know I was competent and performed well I would never make even close to the older lazy nurses who had been there before the dinosaurs...

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23 hours ago, LibraNurse27 said:

I kind of wish I never found out! But, too late now. I can't know about it and not do anything.

This is exactly the response they're counting on. I went back and forth with my manager for what seemed like eternity ...until she quietly wrote out a much higher number and pushed it towards me. Until that point, she'd insisted that it was not possible.

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Specializes in Med Surg, Tele, PH, CM.

Better check before you involve your co-workers. Some Systems have rules against discussing your salary with a co-worker. Check before you get them in trouble. Sounds like you are being paid the salary you negotiated. I would look at outpatient surgery.

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Specializes in Community Health, Med/Surg, ICU Stepdown.

I found out the issue is when the union negotiated our latest contract per diem employees fought for a clause that states their hourly pay cannot be decreased by more than 5% when they become permanent, even though they get benefits and pension. So a low per diem step translates to a high permanent step in terms of hurly pay because permanent is supposed to take into account the benefits. Not sure how that went through!

It turns out not to be a gender thing, thank God. Just happens to be all the people who went permanent after the clause are men. Those of us who switched to permanent before this date, and those hired directly to permanent make $20,000 to $30,000 less per year. I missed the date by 6 months! I am happy for those guys though! Some are working around it by leaving their permanent positions, going per diem, then coming back permanent at a higher step! Sneaky, LOL. But I would feel guilty making more than nurses who have worked there 20 years. What a world LOL thanks to all and sorry for the rant!

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Specializes in Cardiology, Research, Family Practice.
On 8/6/2020 at 8:11 PM, LibraNurse27 said:

I found out the issue is when the union negotiated our latest contract per diem employees fought for a clause that states their hourly pay cannot be decreased by more than 5% when they become permanent, even though they get benefits and pension. So a low per diem step translates to a high permanent step in terms of hurly pay because permanent is supposed to take into account the benefits. Not sure how that went through!

It turns out not to be a gender thing, thank God. Just happens to be all the people who went permanent after the clause are men. Those of us who switched to permanent before this date, and those hired directly to permanent make $20,000 to $30,000 less per year. I missed the date by 6 months! I am happy for those guys though! Some are working around it by leaving their permanent positions, going per diem, then coming back permanent at a higher step! Sneaky, LOL. But I would feel guilty making more than nurses who have worked there 20 years. What a world LOL thanks to all and sorry for the rant!

That's BS. Hospitals should be ashamed to treat their existing employees with such disrespect and lack of appreciation. LOLOL what am I saying??? I crack myself up.

Anyway, I would not be able to stay there unless I was paid equitably. Sounds like it's time for a change of scenery.

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