FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- Bombardier Aerospace Corporation and Learjet Inc. are facing a lawsuit in federal court after a former employee accused the aerospace manufacturers of violating the Equal Pay Act (EPA).
Reatha Murray filed the June 1 suit in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida. Bombardier manufactures planes and trains as well as providing training and maintenance services. Learjet is an aerospace manufacturer of business jets for civilians and military personnel.
According to the complaint, Murray worked for Bombardier and Learjet from October 1990 to January 2018 as a project planner. Her duties included managing project schedules, ensuring schedule adherence, sending letters to customers, scheduling aircraft maintenance visits, providing administrative support, coordinating pre-induction meetings, auditing work order packages and assisting with audits of team members.
| By InSapphoWeTrust from Los Angeles, California, USA (Bombardier Aerospace - N542FX) [CC BY-SA 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
Murray also trained other project managers over the years. She reportedly was the only female project planner and performed the same job duties of her male counterparts. In February 2017, the defendants adjusted her compensation after reviewing employee base rates.
“Despite this adjustment, at all relevant times, Murray was paid less than her male counterparts who performed the same or substantially the same job duties,” the complaint said.
The suit alleges the difference of pay was because of a lower base rate, bonuses, increases and other benefits. It also alleges Bombardier “knew or should have known that its failure to pay Murray equal pay for equal work was a willful, reckless and contumacious violation of the EPA.” According to the complaint, she suffered back pay losses as a result of the violations and is entitled to attorney fees and costs.
Murray seeks a jury trial, back pay, interest, liquid damages and further relief. She is represented by attorney Gina Marie Cadogan of Cadogan Law in Plantation.