Despite passage of the Equal Pay Act of 1963, which requires that men and women in the same work place be given equal pay for equal work, the “gender gap” in pay persists. Full-time women workers’ earnings are only about 78 percent of their male counterparts’ earnings. The pay gap is even greater for African-American and Latina women, with African-American women earning 64 cents and Latina women earning 56 cents for every dollar earned by a white non-Hispanic man. Decades of research shows that no matter how you evaluate the data, there remains a pay gap — even after factoring in the kind of work people do, or qualifications such as education and experience — and there is good evidence that discrimination contributes to the persistent pay disparity between men and women. In other words, pay discrimination is a real and persistent problem that continues to shortchange American women and their families.
White House – Equal Pay: Understand the Basics
Solutions:
- Close Equal Pay Act loopholes
- Pass a city ordinance prohibiting city agencies, city contractors and private employers from asking about salary history on paper and online applications but allow inquiries in interviews.
- Pass a city ordinance prohibiting city contractors and sub contractors from using forced arbitration
- Do an audit every 2 years on the gender wage gap within city agencies
- Pass laws similar to other states:
- No discrimination or retaliation for discussing wages (12 states)
- Can’t reduce another employee’s pay to comply with law (20 states)
- No discrimination/retaliation for involvement in legal proceedings (37 states)
- Employer liable for compensatory damages (34 states)
- Employer liable for costs and reasonable attorney’s fees (29 states)
- Prohibit private sector employers from asking about salary history on paper and on-line applications but exempt interviews
Alternatives
- Create a Texas Paid Family Leave program
- Create a Texas Earned Income Tax Credit for Texas work families
- Pass a comprehensive package to raise wages for Texas working families
- Amend Texas constitution so that discrimination applies to all employers regardless of the number of employees. (current state law only applies to employers with 15+ employees)
Texas Constitution
Code – Labor Code
Chapter – 21 Employment Discrimination
Code – Government Code
Chapter – 659 Equal Work, Equal Pay
NPR – To Shine A Light On Salary Gaps, Obama Wants Companies To Disclose Pay Data
NPR – ‘Pay Secrecy’ Policies At Work: Often Illegal, And Misunderstood
Institute for Women’s Policy Research – Pay Secrecy and Wage Discrimination
Institute for Women’s Policy Research – The Economic Impact of Equal Pay by State
Huffpost Politics – States Take Lead On Equal Pay, With Legislation Stalled In Congress
Huffpost Politics – Kroger, Macy’s Face Boycott Call After Opposing Texas Equal Pay Bill
Huffington Post – This Woman Finally Figures Out How To Get Equal Pay
Huffington Post – California Expands Equal Pay Law To Include Protections For Race And Ethnicity
The Guardian – 45 years after the Equal Pay Act, there’s still a long way to go
The American Prospect – Why Ledbetter Isn’t Enough
CNN – California toughens its equal pay law
Rolling Stone – Meet the Woman Trying to Smash the Gender Pay Gap
The Atlantic – The U.S.’s ‘Strictest’ Equal-Pay Law Is About to Go Into Effect
The Atlantic – One Way to Ensure Equal Pay for Men and Women
The Atlantic – One Tech Company Just Erased Its Gender Pay Gap
The Prospect – Why Ledbetter Isn’t Enough
Think Progress – How States Are Leading The Way On Equal Pay For Women
Think Progress – Rick Perry Vetoes Equal Pay Bill
Think Progress – New York City Lawmaker Wants To Ban Salary Histories
Think Progress – New Jersey lawmakers want to outlaw salary histories
Think Progress – Nation’s capital wants to ban salary histories
Marie Claire – These States Are Actually Doing Something About Equal Pay
Business Journal – Washington could revise its equal pay law for the first time since 1943
National Women’s Law Center – The Lilly Ledbetter Act Five Years Later: A Law That Works
NAACP – Supported Legislation to Correct a Loophole in Pay Discrimination Passes Congress
Fortune – One issue ignored in the Republican debate: equal pay
Forbes – Equal Pay For Equal Work Seems Like A No-Brainer, Right?
Vox – Maryland has passed one of the nation’s strongest equal pay laws
Washington Post – The best way to eliminate the gender pay gap? Ban salary negotiations
Slate – To Narrow Wage Gap, Congress Might Ban Employers From Asking for Salary History
Slate – Equal Pay Legislation Banning Salary History Questions Is Absolutely Based in Data
Kansas City Star – Mississippi is one of 4 states with no equal-pay laws
Progress Texas – Top Ten Facts About Equal Pay in Texas
San Antonio Express – Equal pay debate shifts to attorney general’s office
Dallas News – Wendy Davis says Greg Abbott has fought equal pay for women in the courtroom
Alaska Dispatch News – Can a prospective employer ask for a W-2 as proof of salary history?
Ordinances
CBS – Santa Clara Co. Supervisors Push Forward On Equal Pay Ordinance
Business Journal – Albuquerque City Council Passes Equal Pay Ordinance
Arizona Central – Phoenix approves plan to fight gender pay gap
Philly employers will soon be barred from asking your salary history
Huffington Post – One City Takes a Giant Step for Equal Pay
Mayor Kasim Reed to Sign Equal Pay Legislation for Women Employees
Patch – LA Looks to Ban Employers from Asking About Salary History
Comcast threatens to sue Philly over salary history ban
Persistent gender wage gap prompts San Diego to explore equal pay law
How Cincinnati’s new Salary Equity Ordinance aims to narrow the wage gap
joemcelligott.com 