WASHINGTON, D.C. – Ahead of tomorrow’s Equal Pay Day, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) today called for passage of legislation that would close loopholes that allow pay discrimination based on gender. In Ohio, women are paid only 82.7 percent of what their male counterparts earn. Nationwide, women earn 22 percent less than men.

“Pay discrimination based on gender hurts our economy by robbing women of hard-earned wages that they could otherwise use to start businesses, send their kids to college, or build up their retirement savings,” said Brown. “Women should earn equal pay for equal work – but nationwide women earn only 78 cents for every dollar earned by a man. We must address this wage gap. That’s why Congress should pass the Paycheck Fairness Act to make sure equal work means equal pay.”

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2013, Ohio women who worked full-time earned just 82.7 percent of what male employees earned. Women had median weekly earnings of $680, compared to $822 for men.

To address this gap, Sen. Brown supports the Paycheck Fairness Act, which would strengthen the Equal Pay Act of 1963 and help women fight wage discrimination by:

  • Disallowing employers from retaliating against workers who, with their colleagues, discuss salaries;
  • Making gender-based discrimination as equal to other forms of wage discrimination, and allowing women to take legal action for damages;
  • Requiring employers to prove that pay differences exist for legitimate reasons such as education, training, and experience;
  • Creating a negotiation skills training program for women and girls;
  • Establishing 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;
  • Providing small businesses and other businesses assistance with equal pay practices; and
  • Enhancing the ability of the Department of Labor and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to investigate and enforce pay discrimination laws. 

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