Bustos Helps Pass the Paycheck Fairness Act to Close Gender Wage Gap

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Congresswoman Cheri Bustos (IL-17) helped pass the Paycheck Fairness Act to help close the wage gap and boost the financial security of both women and their families. The bill would create more effective remedies for women who are not being paid equal pay for equal work, including requiring employers to prove that pay disparities exist for legitimate, job-related reasons, new tools for the Department of Labor to enforce pay equity and protections against retaliation for workers who voluntarily discuss or disclose wages.

“It’s vital we ensure equal pay for equal work and the Paycheck Fairness Act will help do just that,” Congresswoman Bustos said. “We must finally close the wage gap to guarantee women earn the wages they deserve and create more just workplaces, while boosting the economic security of families across our region. I’m proud to support this bill today and hope the Senate will act quickly bolster equal pay protections.”

Nearly six decades after Congress enacted the 1963 Equal Pay Act, there is still a serious wage gap based on gender and race. Full-time working women earn only 82 cents, on average, for every dollar a man earns, which amounts to an annual disparity of $10,157 and a career disparity of more than $400,000. The gap is even larger for women of color: on average, Black women earn just 63 cents, Native American women just 60 cents and Latinas just 55 cents for every dollar a white, non-Hispanic man earns.

To help close this gap, the Paycheck Fairness Act strengthens the protections and closes the loopholes in the Equal Pay Act. The bill would:

  • Require employers to prove that pay disparities exist for legitimate, job-related reasons and ban retaliation against workers who voluntarily discuss or disclose their wages.
  • Prohibit employers from relying on salary history in determining future pay, so that pay discrimination does not follow women from job to job.
  • Improve the Department of Labor’s tools for enforcing the Equal Pay Act and ensure women can receive the same robust remedies for sex-based pay discrimination that are currently available to those subjected to pay discrimination based on race and ethnicity.
  • Provide assistance to all businesses to help them with their equal pay practices and create a negotiation skills training program to help women negotiate higher pay.

***Report Courtesy of Congresswoman Bustos***

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