GOP Senate Blocks Equal Pay Legislation

Lee Edwards | As of Thursday, April 17, 2014

“If someone does the same work, they should earn the same pay. We won’t be satisfied until all workers are equally compensated for the same work, regardless of their gender. When women succeed, our economy grows.” - Illinois Governor Pat Quinn. Quinn pictured at an Equal Pay Day Rally in Illionis.
“If someone does the same work, they should earn the same pay. We won’t be satisfied until all workers are equally compensated for the same work, regardless of their gender. When women succeed, our economy grows.” - Illinois Governor Pat Quinn. Quinn pictured at an Equal Pay Day Rally in Illionis.

The Paycheck Fairness Act was blocked by Republican U.S. Senators last week, a move that prohibits wage gender equality legislation from progressing.

The filibuster ended in a 53-44 vote without a single Republican Senator voting in favor of the act, therefore barring the U.S. House of Representatives from reviewing and voting on it. (All legislative acts must pass through the Senate and then the House of Representatives before the President of the United States can sign it into law.)

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"At a time when families across the country are finding themselves forced to do more with less, we are reminded that Equal Pay isn’t just women’s issue, it’s a family issue, it’s an economic issue. For women of color, the gaps are even larger. Women of color carry a double burden of both Photos: Office of Cook County Board President Toni Preckiwinkle

”The average woman who works full-time in America earns less than a man – even when she’s in the same profession and has the same education. That's wrong. In 2014, it’s an embarrassment. Women deserve equal pay for equal work. This is an economic issue that affects all of us,” said President Barack Obama about the Republican's "no" vote.

The Paycheck Fairness Act, Senate Bill 84 (S.84), calls for more stringent adhering to the Equal Pay Act of 1963 signed by President John F. Kennedy. The Equal Pay Act of 1963 prohibited employers from wage discrimination based on the sex of employees when both genders are performing equal work. According to the United States Department of Labor (DOL), at the signing of The Equal Pay Act of 1963 women earned 59 cents to every dollar a man earned.

Today, women earn 77 cents to every dollar earned by a man; are the primary financial provider in 40% of American households and are projected to earn $11,084 less than their male counterparts over the course of a year according to the United States House of Representatives’ Democrat’s Committee on Education & the Workforce (HRDCEW).

If passed into law, The Paycheck Fairness Act would:

· Require that employers seeking to justify unequal pay bear the burden of proving that its actions are job-related and consistent with a business necessity.

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

· Put gender-based discrimination sanctions on equal footing with other forms of wage discrimination – such as race, disability or age – by allowing women to sue for compensatory and punitive damages.

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

· Require the Department of Labor to continue to collect and disseminate wage information based on gender.

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

The state of Illinois passed its own anti-wage discrimination legislation in 2003 according to the Illinois Department of Labor. Employers with at least four employees are required by law to pay all of their employees, regardless of gender, equal pay for equal labor.

Several of Illinois' local elected officials support anti-wage discrimination legislation including Ill. Gov. Pat Quinn, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Cook county President Toni Preckwinkle.

“If someone does the same work, they should earn the same pay,” said Quinn. “We won’t be satisfied until all workers are equally compensated for the same work, regardless of their gender. When women succeed, our economy grows.”

"Equal pay is not a women’s issue, it is a family issue, a community issue, and an issue for our entire city and country because when a person is underpaid because of their gender, we are all the poorer for it,” said Mayor Emanuel. “Now, Congress needs to put our national laws in line with our values and finally pass the Paycheck Fairness Act, which will empower women with the information and resources they need to address unequal pay in the workplace."

During an Equal Pay Day Rally in Illinois, Preckiwinkle stated, “At a time when families across the country are finding themselves forced to do more with less, we are reminded that Equal Pay isn’t just women’s issue, it’s a family issue, it’s an economic issue. For women of color, the gaps are even larger. Women of color carry a double burden of both sexism and racism – it’s important to take those both into account when we look at their economic security.”

For more information visit http://www.whitehouse.gov/equal-pay/myth#top or http://www.dol.gov/equalpay/.

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