The proposition that women ought to make the same amount of money as men for the same job is back in the U.S. House of Representatives. The Paycheck Fairness Act was reintroduced on Wednesday and is backed by every Democrat in the chamber. House Resolution Seven would build on the Equal Pay Act of 1963 and the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which was signed into law ten years ago this week. Michele Leber, chair of the National Committee on Pay Equity, tells us one important provision would forbid companies from using a person’s salary history in employment decisions.
“Salary history would tend to have men earning more than women – and then, when they were applying for new jobs, they would be paid based on that salary, and discrepancies would just expand over the years.”
Right now, Michigan doesn’t prohibit asking about salary history on job applications. House Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi has vowed to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act before April 2, which is Equal Pay Day — the day each year that marks how long women have to work to make what a man made in the prior year.
