The only difference I can see between them and you is that they are men

• I reported gender wage discrimination on Wednesday and lost the job on Thursday. There are two companies involved, an advertising agency and a creative staffing agency. I've looked into the EEOC claims process, and I'm not sure how it applies here because the two companies may be able to successfully bounce responsibility back and forth. Their 800 number tells me that there is about a 2-hour wait time to talk to anyone, so I'm hoping that someone can tell me if it's worth wasting my time with the soul-crushing bureaucracy. Since October of 2011 I have been working at Advertising Agency through a Creative Staffing Agency (CSA1). I have been working off-site (at home, on my own equipment) for Advertising Agency as an employee of CSA1 doing flash banner design and programming regularly since that time. In February I spoke with the woman who runs CSA1's Los Angeles office (CSA1-Exec). I felt I was underpaid for my skill level, and I asked for a raise. She agreed to a $5/hour raise for any future work with new clients, but told me that she could not get any more money for me from Advertising Agency because they simply wouldn't pay more. I agreed to keep on working for them at the lower rate because I could not afford to give up the work since it accounted for a large percentage of my hours. About a month later, in the first week of March, I had a conversation with a Senior Project Manager at Advertising Agency where s/he very pointedly volunteered in a kind of whistle-blower-ish manner that there were other people who were doing the same work, who were not as skilled or efficient, but were paid more, and that they were from CSA1. S/he said, "The only difference I can see between them and you is that they are men." My experience with these agencies (both creative staffing agencies and advertising agencies) is that if you complain about poor treatment you will simply be replaced. So other than talking about it to a few friends, I did nothing. Moving forward to the week of June 3, 2013, Advertising Agency's expectations of me had escalated to the point where I decided to have another conversation with CSA1-Exec about the situation, as I suspected that they were in violation of labor laws. I spoke with CSA1-Exec late Wednesday afternoon, and ended up telling her about the Senior Project Manager's statements to me in March about gender wage discrimination. CSA1-Exec expressed shock that either CSA1 or Advertising Agency would consciously discriminate and gave me a $10/hour raise. I was happy to have the raise, but expressed concern that these clients would just go elsewhere and that I would lose the work, since that was what she had said back in February. So, on Thursday, Advertising Agency received notification that I would cost them more. CSA1-Exec says she had a conversation with the Creative Director at Advertising Agency and he said they would still use my services at the higher rate. HOWEVER The same day that Advertising Agency was informed that my rate had increased they started looking for someone to replace me. Creative Staffing Agency 2 (CSA2), a competing creative staffing agency where I am also registered, not knowing that I was working for Advertising Agency through CSA1, submitted me to replace myself. I have an email trail with an agent at CSA2 dated June 6, 2013 and it is specific: My direct supervisor at Advertising Agency is actively looking for someone to do flash banner work, exactly what I do for them. The same day that my rates are raised. This is not a coincidence. I am contractually obligated to inform CSA2 that CSA1 has dibs on my work at Advertising Agency, so I did that. Then I contacted CSA1-Exec, who expressed surprise because of her conversation with the Creative Director. I doubt that CSA1-Exec said anything to the Creative Director about the wage discrimination claim, but the fact remains that I reported gender based wage discrimination on Wednesday, June 5, 2013 and lost my job on Thursday, June 6, 2013. Now CSA1-Exec is not returning my calls, so it seems that I have not only lost they relationship with Advertising Agency, but also with CSA1. So, is it even worth pursuing an EEOC claim? Technically, I work for CSA1, and they gave me the raise as soon as I reported the problem, but I lost the work because the Advertising Agency doesn't want to pay more for me, even if they do for other (reportedly male) people.

• Answer:

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