A complaint filed by the Department of Labor claims that software giant Oracle, which employs 45,000 US workers, is engaged in a “systemic practice of paying Caucasian male workers more than their counterparts in the same job title,” unfairly under-compensating women, African-American and Asian employees. BuzzFeed reported on the complaint earlier today,which is online and claims that the department "found gross disparities even after controlling for job title, full-time status, exempt status, global career level, job specialty, estimated prior work experience, and company tenure."
Another portion of the complaint alleges that Oracle has a "pattern and practice of hiring discrimination against qualified White, Hispanic, and African American Applicants in favor of Asian Applicants, particularly Asian Indian, based on race in 69 job titles at its headquarters." One hypothesis from the complaint is that “targeted recruitment, and referral bonuses... encouraged its heavily Asian workforce to recruit other Asians."
As Oracle has contracts with the federal government worth hundreds of millions, it must prove that it meets certain national equal employment opportunity standards by providing necessary data. The Labor Department says in its complaint that Oracle “refused to produce” data relating to compensation, hiring, and more, “any material demonstrating whether or not it had performed an in-depth review of its compensation practices." Bloomberg explains that if Oracle doesn't change its practices, those contracts could be severed and Oracle cold be barred from seeking new ones.
A spokesperson for Oracle claimed the complaint was “politically motivated, based on false allegations, and wholly without merit," in a statement.
Perhaps Oracle will fare better under a new Department of Labor led by the Trump Administration. Last month, Oracle CEO Safra Catz joined the President-Elect's transition team, saying before a meeting with him that “I plan to tell the president-elect that we are with him and will help in any way we can.” That pledge prompted one Oracle senior staffer to resign publicly in protest and disgust.
