Rep. Johnson marks equal pay day, but 'more needs to be done'

WASHINGTON, D.C. – As the country marks Equal Pay Day on April 20, Rep. Hank Johnson (D-GA) says that more must be done to close the wage gap that still exists between women and men.

“Forty-seven years have passed since President John F. Kennedy signed the Equal Pay Act into law in 1963,” said Rep. Johnson. “And yet, in many cases, there is still not equal pay for equal work in this country.”

In 1963, when the Equal Pay Act was signed, women who worked full-time, year-round made 59 cents on average for every dollar earned by men. In 2008, women earned 77 cents for every dollar earned by men. That is progress – but it is slow progress. It means that the wage gap has narrowed by less than half a cent per year. For women of color, income disparity is particularly striking. African-American women earned only sixty-nine cents on average for every dollar earned by men in 2008; Hispanic women, fifty-nine cents.

Women have fared better in Georgia than in many other states, with those working full-time, year-round jobs earning 81.4% of what their male counterparts earn annually – approximately three percentage points above the national average. Nonetheless, wage inequality between men and women across education levels remains high. The average woman in Georgia must receive a bachelor’s degree before earning as much as the average Georgia male with a high school diploma.

“Achieving equal pay for women is one of the top priorities of the 111th Congress,” said Rep. Johnson, who supported the Fair Pay Act. “In January 2009, the Congress sent to the President’s desk the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act – and it became the first major bill signed into law by President Obama, a week after he was inaugurated as our new President.”

The Lilly Ledbetter Act restores the right of women and other workers to challenge unfair pay in court. Specifically, it rectifies the May 2007 Ledbetter v Goodyear Supreme Court decision that overturned precedent and made it much more difficult for workers to pursue pay discrimination claims. The bill simply restores the longstanding interpretation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act and other discrimination statutes, thereby protecting women and other workers.

“The enactment of the Lilly Ledbetter Act was a major victory for America’s women,” stated Rep. Johnson. “However, the Senate should also now pass and send to the President’s desk the Paycheck Fairness Act, which the House passed in January 2009.”

The Paycheck Fairness Act gives teeth to the Equal Pay Act of 1963. It closes numerous loopholes in the Equal Pay Act and stiffens penalties for employers who discriminate based on gender. It protects employees from retaliation for sharing salary information with their co-workers, with some exemptions. And it creates initiatives to provide negotiation skills training programs for girls and women. Just because gender-based pay discrimination is illegal, does not mean it is no longer a great concern.

###