The Salvation Army is accused not just of being biased against gays, but also against its own female employees. A former Army officer filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in 1999, according to The Chronicle of Philanthropy. She said that while she worked as a lieutenant for four years, she never drew a paycheck in her own name.
Instead, according to a Jan. 27, 2000 report in the Chronicle, "in keeping with a longstanding policy at the giant social-service charity Mrs. [ Wendy ] Spearin and her husband, Gary Spearin, who also was a Salvation Army lieutenant until they left the organization ... received a joint salary, which was paid biweekly to Mr. Spearing."
So Wendy Spearin has no official tax records of her employment, which has hurt her attempts to get a bank loan. More important, Spearin, when she retires, will not be eligible to receive Social Security benefits that she would have accrued during her time with the Salvation Army, the Chronicle reports,
Like all Salvation Army officers, Mrs. Spearin was an ordained minister in the charity, which means the group may be legally allowed to discriminate based on religion.