Hawthorne, Nev. – U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) released the following statement marking Latina Equal Pay Day:
“It is unconscionable that in 2018 Latinas must work nearly two years to earn what their white male colleagues make in a year. These lost wages make it harder for Latinas to achieve economic security and success and perpetuate the widening wealth gap between Latino and white families. As U.S. Senator, I’m fighting to give all Americans a fair shot at the American Dream. And that means ensuring all women receive equal pay for equal work.”
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, fell on April 10th. However, 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.