Senator Clinton, Representative DeLauro Introduce Paycheck Fairness Act

Senator Clinton, Representative DeLauro Introduce Paycheck Fairness Act

Washington, DC— Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton and Representative Rosa DeLauro introduced companion legislation today, Equal Pay Day, in both houses of Congress to address the pay gap between men and women. Advocates from the National Partnership for Women and Families, the National Committee on Pay Equity, the American Association of University Women, the National Women's Law Center and others kicked-off a rally on Capitol Hill to bring attention to this ongoing issue.

Even though the Equal Pay Act was passed more than 40 years ago, women working full time, year-round, still make only 76 cents for every dollar that a man makes. April 19th marks the day when women's wages "catch up" with men's wages from 2004. Equal Pay Day reminds us that millions of American families lose out because equal pay is still not a reality.

"The Paycheck Fairness Act would stop the Bush Administration's rollbacks and make sure that, once again, our federal government sets a standard of excellence for making sure women are paid the same as men," Senator Clinton said. "Equality works for all of us. Now is the time to make sure that we all work for equality."

Congresswoman DeLauro said, "Women in this country have as stake in the political process, and equal pay is an issue central to women's economic freedom. Closing the wage gap is a matter of fairness, opportunity and values for all women - working women, both married and unmarried, those with college degrees and without, single mothers, and those near retirement."

The Paycheck Fairness Act will take critical steps to empower women to negotiate for equal pay, create strong incentives for employers to obey the laws that are in place, and strengthen federal outreach and enforcement efforts. This bill also overturns the Bush Administration's under-the-radar-screen efforts to undermine equal pay laws. This legislation would reinstate the Clinton Administration's Equal Pay Matters Initiative, mandate the continued collection of data on women workers, which the Bush Administration has announced they are discontinuing, and enforce Equal Pay laws for federal contractors. Specifically, the bill would -

· Create a training program to help women strengthen their negotiation skills;

· Require the Department of Labor to enhance outreach and training efforts to work with employers to eliminate pay disparities;

· Prohibit employers from retaliating against employees who share salary information with their co-workers;

· Allow women to sue for punitive damages when their rights under the Equal Pay Act are violated;

· Require the Department of Labor to continue collecting and disseminating critical information about women workers ; and

· Strengthen enforcement of Equal Pay laws among federal contractors.

Forty years after the Equal Pay Act was signed into law, pay discrimination still exists in the workplace. According to the National Committee on Pay Equity, working women stand to lose $250,000 over the course of their career because of unequal pay practices. And the difference in pay cannot be fully explained by experience, education, or other qualifications. The Paycheck Fairness Act would address these shortcomings.

http://www.house.gov/delauro/press/2005/April/paycheck_fairness_04_19_05.html