CHICAGO — The Chicago Tribune is being sued by some of its staffers, who say they and other women and Black journalists are being paid less than their white male counterparts.
Attorneys for the seven plaintiffs want class-action status, a jury trial and a permanent injunction against unequal pay based on sex and race discrimination. It also seeks all the back pay that affected employees should have received had they been paid the same as white males in similar jobs. “The Chicago Tribune employs some of the most highly-regarded journalists in the nation, with individualized talents, experiences, and contributions to our national conversation,” according to the lawsuit. “However, one thing remains consistent across each section of the Chicago Tribune’s news operation — women and African American employees are underpaid by several thousands of dollars a year compared to their male and white counterparts.
The lawsuit also alleges that the newspaper relied on diversity recruitment programs “as a source of cheap labor to depress the salaries of women and minority journalists.” It says talented, mostly women and minority journalists are hired into temporary year-long positions where they are paid significantly less than their colleagues performing the same work.