Las Vegas, Nev. – U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) today released the following statement marking Equal Pay Day:
“At this time of economic uncertainty, it’s even more important than ever that Nevada’s women can earn the equivalent of men and provide crucial support for their families. I’m working in the Senate to make sure everyone’s work is valued, and I’ll continue pushing to make the promise of equal pay a reality.”
BACKGROUND:
This year, Equal Pay Day, which marks how much longer American women must work to catch up to men’s earnings in the previous year, falls on March 31st. Women of color face even greater pay disparities, with African-American and Native American women having to work an additional 219 and 260 days, respectively, to earn the same as their white male colleagues. Latinas earn just 53 cents for every dollar earned by a white male.
Cortez Masto is a cosponsor of the Paycheck Fairness Act, a bill that would require employers to demonstrate that pay disparities between equally placed men and women in the same position are not sex-based. It would prohibit employers from retaliating against employees who discuss salary information with their coworkers and would allow women to join together in class-action lawsuits to fight pay discrimination.
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