Female manager takes Okanagan ski resort to human rights tribunal over pay equity

A former female senior manager of an Oliver-area ski resort who was paid 25% less than previous male managers has won the first round of a BC Human Rights Tribunal dispute. According to a June 29 BC Human Rights Tribunal decision, Mt. Baldy Resort and its chairman Victor Tsao tried to have the case thrown out, arguing that Caroline Sherrer's duties weren't the same as former male managers who were paid more. However, the Tribunal refused to throw the case out saying they hadn't provided enough evidence as to why the female manager was paid "substantially less" than the previous senior managers. The decision said Sherrer has 30 years of experience in the ski industry and took a job as operations manager for Baldy Mountain Resorts in October 2019. Sometime after taking the job, she came to realize that her $58,000 salary with a $5,000 bonus was less than previous male managers and she received fewer benefits. Sherrer was hired as an operations manager but when she read her contract it spelled out the duties of a general manager. She felt the wage didn't correspond with the responsibilities but felt sorry for the business as all its managers had resigned, so she took the job. The decision doesn't say how, but Sherrer obtained the contracts for three previous senior managers. The Tribunal said that one of the contracts for a general manager was "identical" but paying $84,000 plus four weeks vacation, a vehicle and cell phone, and several bonuses. Another contract for a facilities manager paid $10,000 more than Sherrer and had less responsibility. "Ms. Sherrer says she raised being paid less than the previous managers with the (Mt. Baldy Resort) and Mr. Tsao told her she had no authority to access the information on past employee wages," the decision reads. It's not clear when she raised the issue with her employer but after nearly a year on the job she received a $1,000 pay increase. After two ski seasons, she resigned in April 2021. The ski resort argued it paid Sherrer according to her role and responsibilities as operations manager, and its financial ability. It goes on to say that she didn't raise any concerns before accepting the job and she could have sought independent legal advice. The ski resort also argued the previous general manager had two additional duties. However, the Tribunal dismissed this saying the company has not produced any evidence to prove this. The decision said Sherrer increased revenue by 27% and skier visits by 24% during COVID-19 operations. However, the company disputed that Sherrer's work engaged the same level of effort as the previous managers and added that she didn't deal with real estate development. The Tribunal ruled the company provided no evidence, that Sherrer was supposed to deal with real estate or that the previous managers did. The Tribunal rejected Mt Baldy's move to dismiss the case saying the employment contracts of the previous managers contradict their argument that the previous general managers’ duties were significantly different. The Tribunal ruled the case can now go to a hearing if the two parties don't settle in mediation. To contact a reporter for this story, email Ben Bulmer mailto:bbulmer@infonews.ca  or call (250) 309-5230 or email the editor mailto:news@infonews.ca . You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom mailto:tips@infonews.ca  and be entered to win a monthly prize draw. We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above. SUBSCRIBE to our awesome newsletter here https://infotel.ca/newsletter .