Congress Introduces Paycheck Fairness Act in Honor of Equal Pay Day

(Washington, D.C.) Today Senator Barbara Mikulski and Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro will reintroduce the Paycheck Fairness Act in honor of Equal Pay Day, the day when an average woman’s wages will catch up to those of her male counterparts in 2010. The Paycheck Fairness Act passed the House and was two votes shy of overcoming a filibuster in the Senate in the last Congress. The following is a statement by National Women’s Law Center Co-President Marcia D. Greenberger:

"It's shameful that nearly 50 years after President Kennedy signed the Equal Pay Act into law, women still earn, on average, only 77 cents for every dollar paid to men—a pay gap that translates to more than $10,000 in lost wages per year for the average woman worker. The Paycheck Fairness Act will strengthen and update the Equal Pay Act in critical ways. It will bar retaliation against workers for discussing salary information and facilitate class action equal pay act claims—essential steps in closing the wage gap.

"At a time when the economic recovery remains fragile and nearly 40 percent of mothers are primary breadwinners, no woman and no family can afford to have employers discounting their salaries. It's long past time to eliminate the pay discrimination that has been a fact of life for far too many women in this country for far too many years. Congress should act quickly to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act. "

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