UT Medical Branch sued for alleged gender pay discrimination

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission announced it filed a lawsuit against the University of Texas Medical Branch on June 26 for violating equal pay laws. The suit alleges that a female employee at the Galveston-based medical center was consistently paid less than a male colleague despite her qualifications and performance.

UTMB is a public academic health sciences center and an institution within the University of Texas System. The lawsuit states that a longtime female employee, Maria Alza, was paid around $12,000 less per year than a male colleague, while both worked as “solutions architects” from October 2023 to January 2026. The suit also states that Alza had significantly more experience and relevant education.

According to the Equal Pay Act of 1963, it is illegal to financially discriminate based on sex, and all employees serving in the same role with the same qualifications must be paid equally, regardless of sex or gender. The EEOC has decided the UTMB case violates this law.

“The Equal Pay Act ensures that employees receive equal pay for equal work, and we will enforce the statute,” said Jeremy Crosbie, deputy director of the EEOC’s Houston District, in a statement from the commission. 

The EEOC is seeking “back pay and liquidated damages” for Alza, meaning the commission intends for UTMB to make up the difference in pay between what Alza received and what she is believed to be owed, based on her coworker’s pay. A pretrial conference is scheduled for Oct. 14, where the legal teams will discuss the details of the trial and how to move forward. 

Alza had worked at the center for over six years before being hired as a solutions architect, who identified and created solutions for software and programming applications used by UTMB, according to the suit. She held four information technology-related certifications and a bachelor’s degree in computer information systems. Her male coworker did not have any previous related experience in the healthcare industry, the suit alleges. 

“Alza equaled or exceeded (her colleague) in every aspect of relevant knowledge and performance of the Solutions Architect job,” the lawsuit said.

Alza later earned a Master of Science in Business Analytics but did not receive a pay raise despite asking UTMB to conduct a formal salary review. When she did receive a 2.5% increase in salary, a raise was also given to her colleague. At the end of their work in the position, Alza’s salary was $112,750 while her coworker’s was set at $125,000. 

Melissa McDonald, director of media relations for UTMB, said the center is not able to comment on the lawsuit due to pending litigation.

“Enforcement of equal pay laws remains a priority for the EEOC,” trial attorney Claudia Molina said in the EEOC’s official statement. “We will continue to advocate for compliance with the Equal Pay Act to ensure that employees are paid equally when they perform substantially equal work.”

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