It’s Time To Pass The Paycheck Fairness Act (H.R. 7)
BACKGROUND
THE ISSUE: NOW began working for passage of the Paycheck Fairness Act (PFA) (H.R. 7) 24 years ago and we think it’s WAY PAST TIME for the U.S. Congress to adopt this legislation. The PFA would address pay disparities between women and men by closing loopholes in the 1963 Equal Pay Act and provide additional protections against pay discrimination. It’s more important than ever to ensure that women are paid equally during this time of major economic dislocations due to the pandemic.
WHY IT MATTERS: On average, women working full-time, year-round are paid 82 cents for every dollar made by men. The gap widens when race is considered: Black women are paid 62 cents, Native American women are paid 57 cents, and Latinx women are paid 54 cents for every dollar a non-Hispanic, white man is paid. It has been estimated that the typical woman worker loses more than $500,000 over her lifetime due to gender-based pay discrimination. To reduce the pay gap the PFA would limit an employer’s defense that a pay differential is based on a factor other than gender to only bona fide job-related factors in wage discrimination claims. Additionally, the bill would prohibit employers from relying on salary history when setting compensation in hiring, guarantee that women can receive the same solutions for gender-based pay discrimination as are available for race- or ethnicity-based discrimination, promote pay transparency to protect employees from retaliation for discussing wages, and require the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission to issue regulations for collecting employers compensation and other employment data for use in enforcing laws prohibiting pay discrimination.
THE STATUS: The Paycheck Fairness Act (PFA) could be scheduled for a floor vote in the House of Representatives as early this Thursday, April 15 or Friday, April 16.
TAKE ACTION
WHAT CAN I DO? Make sure your Representative opposes weakening amendments and votes YES for the Paycheck Fairness Act (H.R. 7).
HOW DO I DO IT? Don’t know who your House member is? Go to https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative and follow instructions.
MAKE THAT CALL – You can then call the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121 and ask to be connected to your Representative’s office. Or, for House members’ phone numbers, go to https://www.house.gov/representatives Another option: send a message via a Representative’s official website, just enter her/his name in the search window and the website will appear. Write a short message using the information below.
WHAT DO I SAY? As a constituent, I urge you to vote for passage of the Paycheck Fairness Act, H.R. 7. This critical bill is needed to fix the gender-based pay gap in our country. For far too long, women have been paid less than men for similar work. Passing the PFA is needed to advance gender equity and address the economic pain that is falling disproportionately on women in the U.S.
SPREAD THE WORD
Contacting your representatives is just a start. Help us keep the conversation going by spreading the word on social media and urging others to take action. Below are some sample social media posts you can use:
Close the #genderpaygap. Women are paid 82 cents for every dollar made by men. Urge your Member of #Congress to vote YES on The Paycheck Fairness Act (PFA). #PaycheckFairnessAct #PFA #HR1869
The gender wage gap persists. Women continue to be undervalued and underpaid in the workplace, despite being the primary earners in most households. #Congress must close the #genderpaygap. Call your Representative and urging them to vote YES on The Paycheck Fairness Act (PFA). #PaycheckFairnessAct #PFA #HR1869 (Best for Facebook and/or Instagram)
Women shouldn’t risk falling into poverty even when they work full-time. In order to build a stronger economy that works for everyone, we must close the gender wage gap. Call your Representative and urge them to vote YES on The Paycheck Fairness Act (PFA). #PaycheckFairnessAct #PFA #HR1869
Link to toolkit and/or additional graphics (if applicable)
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES