Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) cosponsored the Paycheck Fairness Act, legislation that would prohibit wage discrimination on the basis of sex. The bill would require employers to demonstrate that pay disparities are not sex-based and prohibit employers from retaliating against employees who discuss or disclose salary information with their co-workers. The bill was introduced by Senator Patty Murray (D-Wash.).
“Equal pay for equal work means giving women the opportunity to achieve economic security and the ability to provide for their families. But in America, women still earn on average only about 80 percent of what men earn. We can’t let this disparity, which is worse for women of color, continue to exist. The Paycheck Fairness Act would make necessary fixes to narrow the wage gap and ensure that American women earn a fair wage to support their families.”
BACKGROUND:
The Paycheck Fairness Act would strengthen and close loopholes in the Equal Pay Act of 1963 by holding employers accountable for discriminatory practices, ending the practice of pay secrecy, easing workers’ ability to individually or jointly challenge pay discrimination, and strengthening the available remedies for wronged employees.
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