Two Kansas City area teens whose story about unequal pay propelled them into the national spotlight last year gained another advocate Monday – The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
Jenson Walcott and Jake Reed, both then employed at KCK-based Pizza Studio as pizza artists, spoke out about their story when after both were hired, they found out Jake, a male, would earn $.25 more per hour than his female co-worker Jenson.
PREVIOUS STORY: Fired Kansas City area teens give equal pay speech at DNC
When the pair told the company about the discrepancy, the restaurant declined to hire either one.
Their story took a national turn when they spoke about equal pay at the Democratic National Convention.
“Me and Jake thought that was going to be all, a small little news story in our local metro area, and it took off,” Walcott told 41 Action News last August.
On Tuesday, the EEOC announced a lawsuit against the parent company of Pizza Studio, PS Holding LLC, for violating the 1963 Equal Pay Act.
In response to the story last year, the company said it had investigated the incident that believed that gender did not play a role in the salary determination.
