Constitutional Faces: Deborah Gunter, Plaintiff in Wal-Mart v. Dukes

May 15th, 2011

From MyDesert.com, a feature about Deborah Gunter, one of the 7 Plaintiffs in Wal-Mart v. Dukes:

When Gunter was hired as a cashier at a Walmart in Texas during the holiday season of 1993, it was a positive experience. She said she observed women in management positions and thought a person without a college degree could advance up the ranks with hard work.

In 1996, Gunter started working as a cashier in the photography lab at a store in Riverside. She later became a stocker, filling shelves and working on floor displays overnight.

“I had accelerated as a stocker,” she recalled. “When they would hire young men in, they would put them with me for training.”

Those co-workers became friends, who eventually told Gunter they were earning about $2 more an hour than her, according to her declaration.

Instead of raising a fuss, Gunter said she focused on working her way into management. The overnight manager and district manager — both men — encouraged her to bid for higher positions within the company.

Gunter, a professional dog breeder, applied three times to oversee the pet section. She was passed over for employees with more seniority every time.