Paycheck Fairness Act would end the practice of pay secrecy and strengthen the available remedies for wronged employees

Senator Reverend Warnock: “I firmly believe that there is no such thing as equality for some—all Georgians, and Americans, deserve equal wages for equal work”

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA), joined by all of his Senate Democratic announced last week he will cosponsor the Paycheck Fairness Act. The legislation would strengthen the Equal Pay Act of 1963, help eliminate the gender wage gap and end the practice of pay secrecy, and guarantee that women can challenge pay discrimination and hold employers accountable. Additionally, the legislation is included among President Biden’s gender equality priorities, and is bipartisan.

“I firmly believe that there is no such thing as equality for some—all Georgians, and Americans, deserve equal wages for equal work,” said Senator Reverend Warnock. “The persistent wage gap does not just affect women in our state, and country, but affects the success and stability of families and children that rely on women as a primary income source. This legislation is long overdue, and Congress needs to get it done post haste.”

More than five decades after the passage of the Equal Pay Act of 1963, women on average still make only 82 cents, for every dollar earned by men. And according to recent media reports, women on average earn even less in Georgia. On the national scale, African American women are paid 63 cents and Latina women are paid 55 cents compared to earnings of white men. For a woman working full time year-round, the current wage gap represents a loss of more than $400,000 over the course of her career. The wage gap impacts women’s ability to save for retirement and reduces their total Social Security and pension benefits, contributing to more older women living in poverty.

The full text of this legislation is available here. 

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