Wednesday, May 21, 2003
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Wednesday, May 21, 2003 |
PTC Development Authority seeks to kick equal pay suitBy JOHN
MUNFORD
Attorneys for the Development Authority of Peachtree City are asking a federal court to dismiss an equal pay lawsuit filed by former amphitheater director Kristi Rapson. Rapson has sued the authority, alleging she was underpaid compared to then-tennis center director Virgil Christian, who is now the authority's executive director. The authority operates both venues. In papers filed last week, the authority maintains that while Christian was paid more than Rapson, the two jobs are different in terms of the work they demand. As tennis center director, Christian supervised a regular staff of 35 employees (including some part-timers) for a facility that was open to the public 364 days a year, the authority claims. In contrast, Rapson oversaw three staffers for a facility that was open to the public "only a few dozen evenings per year," according to the authority. The authority also counters that Rapson's pay was increased by over $21,000 in 2000 after a compensation study that was conducted for the authority by a consulting firm. Before Rapson resigned in 2002, she asked for her compensation to be raised to $110,000, which was more than the highest-paid amphitheater director in the 2000 compensation study, according to the authority. Although Christian's base salary is $30,000, he earns enough in yearly incentives to raise that figure beyond the $100,000 mark. Those incentives are based on giving tennis lessons, recruiting other professionals to give lessons and building a membership from scratch, the authority stated in documents. The authority also claims that Rapson is ineligible for compensation under the equal pay act because the tennis center and amphitheater are not part of a single establishment, which is one of the legal requirements that must be met.
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