KANSAS CITY, KANSAS — A teenage girl was hired then fired on the same day for wanting to make as much dough as her male co-worker.
Jensen Walcott, 17, had just gotten a job at Pizza Studio in Kansas on the same day as her friend Jake Reed, WDAF-TV reported.
The two had been excited to work together, but Walcott’s joy quickly turned to confusion after finding out her friend would be getting paid more. Reed was offered $8.25 an hour, versus Walcott’s $8 an hour wage. The two were both aged 17, had the same amount of experience, and were employed in the same position.
Convinced it was a mistake, Walcott called her new manager and asked why her pay was lower. She was put on hold and fully expected the manager to come back to the phone and offer her the same pay as Reed. To Walcott’s surprise, she was fired on the grounds that it was against company policy to discuss wages. The manager then called Reed and fired him.
The teens claim they were never informed of the company policy against talking about pay. A lawyer consulted by WDAF-TV also explained that it is not legal to fire someone for complaining about unequal wages, and that Walcott and Reed have grounds to sue.
Walcott is still unsure whether she wants to file an official complaint. She just wants to know why she wasn’t offered the same pay as her friend.
