A federal judge granted class-action status yesterday to a lawsuit filed on behalf of more than 700 female workers at Costco claiming that the retailer had systematically discriminated against women seeking jobs as managers. In the lawsuit, the lead plaintiff ? a former assistant store manager who was upset about not being made a store manager ? asserts that Costco discriminated against women in promotions because 13 percent of the company?s store managers were women, while nearly half of its employees were women. The lawsuit undercuts Costco?s image as one of retailing?s most benevolent companies, with generous wages and benefits that make it more attractive for employees than competitors like Wal-Mart.
See "Costco Bias Suit Is Given Class-Action Status", Steven Greenhouse and Michael Barbaro, The New York Times, January 11, 2007