A former senior Oracle sales manager says in a federal lawsuit he was fired abruptly after he refused to offer Indian employees substantially lower salaries than their white counterparts.
Ian Spandow sued Oracle in federal court in San Francisco last week accusing the firm of firing him for his opposition to a salary proposal of roughly $50,000, instead of a more standard offer of over $60,000 to an experienced Indian employee.
The suit alleged that Spandow was rebuked by his sales director, Keith Trudeau, who allegedly told Spandow the lower salary would be “good money for an Indian.”
Spandow, who is a senior regional manager in database sales, is from Ireland and has worked for Oracle since 2005 as a sales trainer. He has managed and led coaching teams in Dublin, Paris, Potsdam, Prague and Dubai, according to the lawsuit.
His lawsuit claims discriminatory and retaliatory conduct based on his national origin and based on his complaint of allegedly improper practices by the company.
Spandow claims Oracle has engaged in a pattern of paying Indian employees wages that are substantially lower than those paid white workers.
He was fired in December 2012. The lawsuit seeks damages for lost wages and benefits as well as punitive damages.
Case: Spandow v. Oracle, No. 14-95EDL
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