The Virginian-Pilot
©
NORFOLK
A former executive has accused Portfolio Recovery Associates of underpaying him because he is black and firing him after he complained. A company lawyer denied the allegation Monday.
Mark Johnson was hired as an assistant vice president in 2003 and later was promoted to vice president, according to a suit he filed recently in U.S. District Court. He helped attract "several hundred million dollars in revenue" to the Norfolk-based firm, the suit said.
However, he received "far less compensation" than other Portfolio executives with similar responsibilities, the suit said. In 2006, Johnson received $274,596; another vice president received $909,269, Johnson alleged.
Johnson last year questioned an executive vice president about his salary, the suit said. He was fired in April 2008, the suit alleged, after Portfolio Recovery officials accused him of violating a "confidentiality agreement" by disclosing information to an attorney. The disclosure was not illegal, the suit said. Johnson, it alleged, was fired in retaliation for his salary complaints.
"When most people hear about race discrimination, they assume it's about blatant, ugly acts in the workplaces," said Johnson's attorney, Lisa Bertini, a shareholder of Bertini O'Donnell & Hammer PC in Norfolk.
"Often, race discrimination is a lot more subtle."
Sara Rafal, a partner with Williams Mullen in Virginia Beach, which represents Portfolio Recovery, said, "The client does not believe it has done anything wrong and is going to defend the claim vigorously."
Portfolio Recovery buys defaulted consumer debt and attempts to collect it. Johnson is seeking at least $4 million.
Philip Walzer, (757) 222-3864, phil.walzer@pilotonline.com
Delicious
Digg
Reddit
Facebook
Twitter
Google
Yahoo
Sardonic Comments
about actual problematic issues in our society come easily to those who either aren't affected or don't care if they are, by said issues. Some seem more than willing to live in a constant state of denial on anything outside their rose colored views. As a racial & ethnic minority, with post graduate education, military & supervisory experience & more, I understand what goes on, too often, more than some seem willing. During the latter years of my working career, I also became a victim of age discrimination. For some time now, my wife & I do what we can to encourage our grown, well educated children, to continue to better themselves, regardless of whatever obstacles are either intentionally or not, placed in their way.
jury time
Just because someone says it is true, does not make it true. Time to select a jury and hopefully he will lose. Test the open market and see how many $900,000 jobs there are to pick from.
Race card BORING
If his replacement is being paid 270k and they are Euro-American would the case have merit? The other VP may have more time and/or experience but that doesn't matter. This could a case of hyper sensitivity or convenience when it comes to the race card. The law is written to allow almost any complaint about race.
Hopefully,
this case will be considered & decided on it's merits or lack thereof. Yet too many of my fellow posters, through their comments, seem unwilling to acknowledge the rampant, both blatant & covert, discrimination,(racial, ethnic, sexual, age, religion, etc), that occurs, daily, in workplaces, both white & blue collar, throughout America.
Salaries
Salary is between the company and the employee only. If he negotiated his current salary, then that's what he got.
If he found out someone was making more than him, it wasn't because of race. Give me a break. The race card is such an easy way out of any situation.
I hope he doesn't get a dime.
lisah
I, too, would be happy to make $274,000; but, not if someone else was performing the same work for three times that.
I've worked with...
I've worked with several of those type of employees that always scream "Foul" "You must be descriminant" to get a promotion, raise, etc. in attempts to bully their employer into "giving in" to their unwarrented demands. Go get um Portfolio! He did cause your company alot of bad PR.
His own Fault
Now he seeks compensation. He should have been looking for this all along. Instead of trying to rectify this with his employer he gets a lawyer. I'd fire him too.
Not about race...
This is nothing more than a person doing a very poor job of salary negotiation before accepting a position and then getting upset later on. Tough cookie, learn something from it and sell yourself at the compensation level you think you deserve next time. In the mean time, put away the race card and be a man.
Right to hire - Right to fire!
It sounds like this exec does a great job. Unfortunately, in the business world, part of the plan is to keep new people ignorant to what their services are truly worth. Face it...if the boss pays you more money, it means less out of his pocket (or the company's). These folks work under a contract and it would behoove them as priority one to find out what is the "norm" for pay. I would wager that none of the execs are paid exactly the same with the exact same benefits.
I worked for a company for 10 years and I trained the new employees. In 6 months, some these new people expected to make the same amount of money I was making because we had alot of the same responsibilities. They lacked the experience to deal with issues that would arise which made my 10 years invaluble.
Why would anyone want to pay you what you are worth unless you demand it?
I would expect a person qualified to make $900k to know what the pay is.