Today, the shocking Supreme Court Ruling in Dukes vs. Wal-Mart resulted in what is being called a step backwards in gender equality for women. The decision to not certify Dukes as a class action suit was unanimous. So what is this about and what does it all mean? Basically, Wal-Mart wins. Women Lose. Wal-Mart wins. We all lose.
Beating up on Wal-Mart has become a national past time. No one seems happy about Wal-Mart’s destruction of Main Street, decimation of the mom and pop neighborhood store, and generally driving down wages in countless communities all over the United States. Harsh criticisms about Wal-Mart’s refusal to allow their employees to unionize while obviously bulldozing over Little Town, USA all in the name of bringing low prices to the American people. However, guiltily, most of us shop the discount giant. Possibly many of us exclusively shop Wal-Mart or Sam’s Club, present company embarrassingly included. I could make excuses, but basically Sam’s Club is near my house and I dig buying in volume. I want to know when I buy toilet paper that I won’t have to buy it again for another 6 months. Excuses or not, I don’t love my decision to give them my business.
Okay, so I’m not the world’s hugest Wal-Mart fan. I find it highly annoying that their stores have the lowest prices on groceries. We as a society sacrifice so much for these low prices. If I were to get petty, which I will, I’d have to point out that I hate when their prices end in $0.96. Traditionally prices end in $0.99 or $0.00. Really? $0.04? Doesn’t seem worth it. Okay, I’m just being a jerk. I’m certain that Wal-Mart has done plenty for the communities they are a part of. I mean, for one, they do provide low prices for groceries and any other item that you could possibly think of. So why would 1.5 million women attempt to file a class action suit against this store that is seen in nearly every American community?
Rewind to 1996. A woman by the name of Stephanie Odle was told by a supervisor that a male co-worker was paid more because of his need to provide for his wife and his kids. This is the first of many cases for countless women nationwide. Women have been told to “doll up” and sweep “the cobwebs” off of their makeup. Not only offensive comments such as these, but many women have watched as younger men with less experience have been promoted above them. The data supports that in fact women have been promoted less despite stronger evaluation records. They have also been paid less across the country. Sounds to me like Wal-Mart is saying boys are better than girls.
This doesn’t really seem like an argument that should be occurring in 2011. Basically it boils down to that even though the arguments of the women seem compelling the monetary size of the class action suit is too large. Lower courts have ruled in favor of Dukes, but because Wal-Mart kept appealing they made it to the highest court and won. Now the only option for the 1.5 million women violated by Wal-Mart is that they can file individual lawsuits. Sadly, none of the stories of these women have been told in a court of law. They’ve been simply trying to get a court to certify that this indeed is a viable class action suit. That was denied today by the highest court in the land.
This issue is being discussed at http://thevotereffect.com currently. The question being do you agree or disagree with the Supreme Court’s case. Undoubtedly this Supreme Court made a statement. Whether that statement be that they feel big corporations have more of a say than individual citizens, or that this case was simply too big, a statement was made. Honestly, this decision was disappointing, but it is not the last that will be heard of this case. The American people are all ears and will be watching what happens.
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