Feds: Oracle pays white men more than other groups

NEW YORK - The Labor Department is suing Oracle (ORCL), claiming that the technology giant pays white male workers more than their non-white and female counterparts with the same job titles.

In the complaint, disclosed Tuesday, the agency said it found “gross disparities” in pay at the software maker even after taking job title, prior work experience, company tenure and other factors into account.

The lawsuit also says that the company has a systemic practice of favoring Asian workers in its recruiting and hiring practices for product development and other technical roles, which results in hiring discrimination against non-Asian applicants.

Oracle “continues to utilize a recruiting and hiring process that discriminates against qualified African American, Hispanic and White applicants in favor of Asian applicants, particularly Asian Indians….,” the suit claims.

Oracle denies that its labor practices are discriminatory, calling the government’s suit “politically motivated, based on false allegations and wholly without merit.”

“Oracle values diversity and inclusion, and is a responsible equal opportunity and affirmative action employer,” the company said in a statement. “Our hiring and pay decisions are non-discriminatory and made based on legitimate business factors including experience and merit.” 

Earlier this month, the Labor Department sued Google (GOOG), saying the company has refused to provide the department with employee compensation records and other information as part of an audit designed to ensure it isn’t discriminating against workers.