WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chair of the House Education and Labor Committee, and Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-CA), chair of the Workforce Protections Subcommittee, issued the following statement after Senate Republicans voted to filibuster legislation to close loopholes that have allowed many employers to avoid responsibility for discriminatory pay based on gender. On average, women currently make 77 cents for every dollar a man makes.
The Paycheck Fairness Act, introduced by Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) and
approved by the House in January 2009, would have strengthened the Equal
Pay Act and closed loopholes that allow many employers to avoid
responsibility for discriminatory pay. Today, it received only 58 of the
60 votes needed to break a filibuster with all Senate Republicans
voting to block the bill from being considered.
“Senate Republicans dealt a blow to all working mothers, wives, and daughters today by blocking a bill to help women win equal pay for equal work. Because of loopholes in current law, women who are paid less than men doing the same work don’t have the same rights to bring employers to justice as with other forms of discrimination,” said Miller. “It is outrageous that Senate Republicans continue to allow women to be treated as second-class citizens.”
“Wage discrimination against women continues to be a persistent problem, and it is deeply frustrating that a partisan minority has prevented this important bill from coming to debate and vote,” said Woolsey.
Specifically, 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 equal pay discrimination sanctions on the same footing as other forms of discrimination – such as race or disability – 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; and
• Create a new grant program to help strengthen the negotiation skills of girls and women.
“Senate Republicans dealt a blow to all working mothers, wives, and daughters today by blocking a bill to help women win equal pay for equal work. Because of loopholes in current law, women who are paid less than men doing the same work don’t have the same rights to bring employers to justice as with other forms of discrimination,” said Miller. “It is outrageous that Senate Republicans continue to allow women to be treated as second-class citizens.”
“Wage discrimination against women continues to be a persistent problem, and it is deeply frustrating that a partisan minority has prevented this important bill from coming to debate and vote,” said Woolsey.
Specifically, 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 equal pay discrimination sanctions on the same footing as other forms of discrimination – such as race or disability – 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; and
• Create a new grant program to help strengthen the negotiation skills of girls and women.
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