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Letter to the editor

Women claim sex bias at Raymond James

Three ex-employees sue, saying they were paid less then men and denied opportunities.

By Helen Huntley, Times Personal Fianance Editor
Published October 21, 2007

Pahoua Lee says she lost her job at Raymond James Financial last year after her manager told her she was "being difficult" and "had a negative attitude." But Lee said it was the St. Petersburg company that made life difficult for women who worked there.

Lee, 33, worked at Raymond James for six years, as an administrative assistant and then as a business development specialist, a job in which she says she was paid less than her male colleagues. She says vice president William McGovern "undressed" her visually, touched her back inappropriately and had a sexual encounter with a female coworker after a holiday party.

Lee, who is Asian-American and dates an African-American, complained of racial discrimination. She said vice president John Downes routinely described African-Americans and Hispanics as lazy and that other managers ignored her complaints about him. McGovern and Downes no longer work at Raymond James and could not be reached for comment.

Lee is one of three former employees who sued last month in federal court claiming they were paid less than men, passed over for promotions, denied opportunities for training and subjected to sexual harassment. None of the women would speak to the Times, but their allegations are contained in the court filing, which asks for legal status as a class action on behalf of most of the company's female employees.

Raymond James called the complaints "wholly unjustified" and said it is committed to diversity and nondiscrimination. "All employment decisions are merit-based," the company said.

All three of the women worked in Raymond James' St. Petersburg headquarters.

Bernadette Seprish, 58, had worked at the company for more than 20 years, working in marketing and sales management, when her position was eliminated last year. Although she had the title of vice president, she says she was assigned lesser duties and paid substantially less than her peers. At conferences, she didn't get the same perks as the male vice presidents, who were put up in suites. And she says at one conference, the other managers were introduced and asked to stand, while she was ignored. She was passed over for promotions and claims age discrimination in addition to gender discrimination.

Beverly Beren, who gives her age as "over 50," spent 14 years at Raymond James, in business development at an Atlanta subsidiary and then at the home office. She complained that Raymond James president Chet Helck, who previously worked in Atlanta, demeaned her skills and denied her training requests. Beren, who became an assistant vice president, said she was paid less than men. She said Raymond James retaliated against her for complaining about discrimination. Her position was eliminated last year.

The women filed their complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, but then asked for the right to sue, which the EEOC granted. The commission did not investigate or rule on the merits of their complaints.

Raymond James notified employees of the lawsuit with a posting on the company intranet that has raised the ire of lawyers for the women.

The company said it responded to the EEOC complaint "with detailed answers refuting the allegations and demonstrating that all employment decisions were proper and appropriate." It said the company showed the complaints were "without merit" and said it expects the charges to be dismissed. Raymond James instructed employees not to talk to the press about the suit and said those who have questions should call the company's legal department.

The statements were improper, misleading and potentially intimidating, said Ethan Zelizer of Stowell & Friedman, the Chicago law firm representing the women. He asked the judge to require Raymond James to correct the notice and to get court approval for future notices sent to female employees as a group.

Raymond James agreed to remove the notice from the company intranet.

Helen Huntley can be reached at hhuntley@sptimes.com or 727 893-8230.

[Last modified October 19, 2007, 22:28:39]