Last year, the U.S. Supreme Court told a group of female Wal-Mart employees who were trying to bring a class action suit against the discount giant for alleged sexual discrimination that they did not share enough characteristics to properly constitute a "class."

Readers in Sacramento might think a decision like that would settle the issue, but they'd be wrong. Evidently, some female employees are still casting about for a reason to sue Wal-Mart for violating employment law.

The women originally sued because they felt they were being promoted more slowly than their male coworkers were and were not being paid as much as male workers were, even though they were doing the same or similar tasks. Sex discrimination is wrong, but it could be argued that these employees had their chance and made a mistake. Taking a second swing at the piñata, so to speak, might strike some as a little opportunistic.

Now, groups of these aggrieved female employees are said to be meeting and planning their next moves. Even one of their lawyers has acknowledged that Wal-Mart has shown renewed sensitivity to the issue of gender in the workplace, but that apparently is not enough for these would-be plaintiffs.

Business owners in Sacramento need to remember that plaintiffs certainly have their lawyers, but they have access to attorneys, too. Attorneys who often represent business owners against claims of employment law violations can often be very valuable allies. These lawyers understand employment law and know how courts work, so they can make sure that disgruntled employees run roughshod over you and your rights.

Source: The Huffington Post, "Wal-Mart Faces Long Battle On Sex Discrimination, Despite Supreme Court Ruling," Lila Shapiro, Jan. 24, 2012