Paycheck Fairness Act Makes Huge Strides after 10 Years of Republican Opposition

by Mike Hall, Jun 29, 2007

For the past 10 years, Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) has introduced the Paycheck Fairness Act to close the huge pay gap between the salaries of men and women. In 2006, women earned about 77 percent of what men did. But with Republican control of Congress, the legislation has stood little chance.

Now in the 110th Congress with Democrats in charge of committees, the bill (H.R. 1388) already has reached two milestones—its first hearing and majority support with 219 co-sponsors. In a “Dear Colleague” letter seeking additional sign-ons and help in moving the bill to a floor vote, DeLauro writes:

Today, economic reality and economic insecurity mandate two-earner families, where possible. Yet, even as more women than ever have joined the workforce, they continue to earn lower wages compared to men. In 2006, women still earned only about 77 percent of what men did. In many families, the inequity of the pay gap falls hardest upon children, because so many working women are the primary breadwinners in their households.

DeLauro points to the recent controversy over the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that denied Lilly Ledbetter’s pay discrimination suit against Goodyear where for nearly two decades at an Alabama plant she earned less than men doing the same work. She quotes from Ledbetter’s testimony before the House Education and Labor Committee.

“What happened to me is not only an insult to my dignity, but it had real consequences for my ability to care for my family. Every paycheck I received, I got less than what I was entitled to under the law.”

 

Clearly, the marketplace alone, or even our court system will not correct this injustice that Lilly Ledbetter, and many women like here, experienced, we need a legislative solution.

DeLauro says the bill would “add some teeth” to the Equal Pay Act. It would:

•  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 in addition to compensatory damages now available under the Equal Pay Act; and

• Create a new grant program to help strengthen the negotiation skills of girls and women.

Click here to watch an archived webcast and read the testimony from the April hearing on the Paycheck Fairness. Click here for an in depth look at women and pay inequity.

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