Corning Glass Works v. Brennan

Corning Glass Works v. Brennan
Supreme Court of the United States
Decided June 3, 1974
Full case name	Corning Glass Works v. Brennan
Citations	417 U.S. 188 ( more )
Holding
Although women plaintiffs worked at different times in the day, compared to male colleagues, the working conditions were "sufficiently similar" and the discrimination claim was allowed. "Working conditions" means both "surroundings" and "hazards."
Court membership
Chief Justice Warren E. Burger Associate Justices William O. Douglas  · William J. Brennan Jr. Potter Stewart  · Byron White Thurgood Marshall  · Harry Blackmun Lewis F. Powell Jr.  · William Rehnquist
Case opinions
Majority	Marshall
Dissent	Burger, joined by Blackmun, Rehnquist
Stewart took no part in the consideration or decision of the case.

Corning Glass Works v. Brennan, 417 U.S. 188(1974), was a United States Supreme Court case in which the court held that although women plaintiffs worked at different times in the day, compared to male colleagues, the working conditions were "sufficiently similar" and the discrimination claim was allowed. "Working conditions" means both "surroundings" and "hazards." ^[1]

Background

Brennan and others, who were employed at the Corning Glass Works, claimed unlawful discrimination because men worked on night shifts and were paid more, while women were only allowed to work on day shifts and were paid less. The employer argued that there was no unequal pay, because the jobs were different: the time of day when work was performed should be considered when determining if 'working conditions' were sufficiently similar. They argued this was a legitimate defense, that pay differences result from a seniority or merit system unrelated to sex under the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, 29 USC §206(d)(1).

Opinion of the court

The Supreme Court issued an opinion on June 3, 1974. ^[1]

References

1. Corning Glass Works v. Brennan, 417 U.S. 188 (1974).

External links

• Text of Corning Glass Works v. Brennan, 417 U.S. 188(1974) is available from: Cornell Findlaw Justia