Women's equal pay bill would "place unnecessary burdens on businesses"

[Acer]

"According to the latest U.S. Census statistics, on average, full-time working women earned 77 cents to every dollar earned by men for equivalent work."

http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-offi...irness-act

Now, the next step would be to find the data within the Census itself that supports this, but it's easier just to post crap on a forum.

Edit: Oh, and there's also this: "The very first bill that President Obama signed into law was the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which extended the time period in which claimants can bring pay discrimination claims"

So the sudden discovery of wage disparity by the Democrats is not really all that sudden.

[decay]

it's time to make things equal.

FMLA was put into place for men; it's about time for women to be treated equally.

http://www.dol.gov/whd/fmla/

those defending lower pay for equal work - how would you feel if men made 77% of pay for THE SAME WORK as women?

[$tevie]

This is really an old bill that's been stalled for years, which Senator Barbara Mikulski (who doesn't run for re-election for another four years) re-introduced this month.
http://www.napequity.org/public-policy/c...rness-act/

This issue is about Walmart clerks and the folks who clean your office at night, way more than it is about white collar workers in the White House. Trying to discuss whether a 26-year-old payroll clerk should be earning as much as a 50-year-old CPA is a total red herring. US Dept of Labor Statistics show that a male retail clerk earns $620 a week on average compared with $466 for a female retail clerk. THAT'S what this bill is aimed at, not whether or not the retail firm's PR people are all making the same salary. As usual, we have to hear a bunch of nonsense that has nothing to do with the true aim of the bill.

[decay]

exactly.

apples to apples.

equal pay for equal work, period.

[$tevie]

It's like people think this bill is going to force employers to pay unworthy individuals the same as their worthier counterparts. It's nothing of the kind. It's pretty dry for the most part.

SUMMARY AS OF:
5/22/2012--Introduced.

Paycheck Fairness Act - Amends the portion of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA) known as the Equal Pay Act to revise remedies for, enforcement of, and exceptions to prohibitions against sex discrimination in the payment of wages.

Revises the exception to the prohibition for a wage rate differential based on any other factor other than sex. Limits such factors to bona fide factors, such as education, training, or experience.

States that the bona fide factor defense shall apply only if the employer demonstrates that such factor: (1) is not based upon or derived from a sex-based differential in compensation, (2) is job-related with respect to the position in question, and (3) is consistent with business necessity. Avers that such defense shall not apply where the employee demonstrates that: (1) an alternative employment practice exists that would serve the same business purpose without producing such differential, and (2) the employer has refused to adopt such alternative practice.

Revises the prohibition against employer retaliation for employee complaints. Prohibits retaliation for inquiring about, discussing, or disclosing the wages of the employee or another employee in response to a complaint or charge, or in furtherance of a sex discrimination investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, or an investigation conducted by the employer.

Makes employers who violate sex discrimination prohibitions liable in a civil action for either compensatory or (except for the federal government) punitive damages.

States that any action brought to enforce the prohibition against sex discrimination may be maintained as a class action in which individuals may be joined as party plaintiffs without their written consent.

Authorizes the Secretary of Labor (Secretary) to seek additional compensatory or punitive damages in a sex discrimination action.

Requires the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs to train EEOC employees and affected individuals and entities on matters involving wage discrimination.

Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to eligible entities for negotiation skills training programs for girls and women. Directs the Secretary and the Secretary of Education to issue regulations or policy guidance to integrate such training into certain programs under their Departments.

Directs the Secretary to conduct studies and provide information to employers, labor organizations, and the general public regarding the means available to eliminate pay disparities between men and women.

Establishes the Secretary of Labor's National Award for Pay Equity in the Workplace for an employer who has made a substantial effort to eliminate pay disparities between men and women.

Amends the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to require the EEOC to collect from employers pay information data regarding the sex, race, and national origin of employees for use in the enforcement of federal laws prohibiting pay discrimination.

Directs: (1) the Commissioner of Labor Statistics to continue to collect data on woman workers in the Current Employment Statistics survey, (2) the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs to use specified types of methods in investigating compensation discrimination and in enforcing pay equity, and (3) the Secretary to make accurate information on compensation discrimination readily available to the public.

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?...03220:@@@L&summ2=m& Darn it, bad link. Not sure how to link to it directly. It's bill number S.3220.

The GOP should have let this go through. All they've done is fuel the "war on women" fire, for no good reason.

[Avenger]

decay wrote:
exactly.

apples to apples.

equal pay for equal work, period.

OK, can you name one employee at your place of work who does EXACTLY what you are doing and is where you are in your career? Why would an employer pay a woman less just because she is a woman. Makes no sense. You can bring a wage discrimination lawsuit without this law. Are there any?

[$tevie]

You didn't read the synopsis of the bill, did you, Avenger? You have no idea what you are talking about. Also, it's not a law. It's a bill. Go watch Schoolhouse Rock and find out how this works.

[Black]

Any ideas on how to attract a higher caliber of conservatives here?
I'm in for $5 a month if we want to set up some sort of stipend maybe.

[Pam]

Avenger wrote:
You are proving my point, Pam. How do you know the 77 cent figure thrown around has taken all this into consideration? We have dozens of secretaries that on the surface appear to have the "same" job. Look closer and they have different responsibilities. And what a coincidence? All of a sudden Democrats have discovered wage disparity 6 months away from election.

Republicans used the same fudging to show federal workers are paid more. Why are you surprised democrats do the same thing?

[Dennis S]

Black wrote:
Any ideas on how to attract a higher caliber of conservatives here?
I'm in for $5 a month if we want to set up some sort of stipend maybe.

I always contended the conservatives here were a cut above other conservatives because they are from a pool of Mac users.