Paycheck Fairness Act

The Paycheck Fairness Act (H.R. 1338) was a bill in the 110th Congress "to amend the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to provide more effective remedies to victims of discrimination in the payment of wages on the basis of sex, and for other purposes." (Official title.)

Current status


Bill summary

 * Amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to prohibit employers from discriminating against employees who have filed complaints about pay discrepancies and subjects employers who exercise pay discrimination to be liable for compensatory damages and in some cases punitive damages (Sec. 3).


 * 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 (Sec. 4).


 * Authorizes the Secretary of Labor to make grants to governmental agencies, nonprofit groups, and community based organizations for negotiation skills training programs for girls and women (Sec. 5).


 * Establishes the Secretary of Labor's National Award for Pay Equity in the Workplace to be awarded to an employer that has made substantial efforts to eliminate pay disparities between men and women (Sec. 7).


 * Directs the Secretary of Labor to make accurate information on compensation discrimination readily available to the public (Sec. 9).


 * Authorizes the appropriation of $15 million to carry out this act, none of which maybe used for congressional earmarks (Sec. 10).

Key votes
Vote to pass a bill that revises the enforcement of prohibitions against sex discrimination in the payment of wages.



Supporters

 * AFL-CIO
 * American Association of University Women
 * American Civil Liberties Union
 * Business and Professional Women USA
 * Coalition of Labor Union Women
 * Equal Rights Advocates
 * Federally Employed Women
 * Feminist Majority Foundation
 * National Association of Social Workers
 * National Committee on Pay Equity
 * National Organization for Women
 * National Women's Law Center
 * United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America
 * United Food and Commercial Workers International Union
 * WAGE Project
 * Wider Opportunities for Women

Opponents

 * Alliance for Worker Freedom
 * American Bakers Association
 * American Hotel and Lodging Association
 * Associated Builders and Contractors
 * College and University Professional Association for Human Resources
 * Environmental Industry Associations
 * Food Marketing Institute
 * Hudson Institute
 * Human Resource Policy Association
 * Independent Electrical Contractors
 * International Foodservice Distributors Association
 * International Franchise Association
 * International Public Management Association for Human Resources (IPMA-HR)
 * National Association of Convenience Stores
 * National Association of Manufacturers
 * National Federation of Independent Business
 * National Public Employer Labor Relations Association
 * National Restaurant Association
 * National Retail Federation
 * National Roofing Contractors Association
 * Printing Industries of America
 * Retail Industry Leaders Association
 * Society for Human Resource Management
 * Textile Rental Services Association of America
 * U.S. Chamber of Commerce