Many of these workers are the sole support for their families. Sixty-six percent of women say that they earn half or more than half of their families income. Further, discriminatory pay has consequences as people age lower lifetime earnings translate into lower pensions and benefits into retirement. Yes, equal pay helps workers become self-sufficient and reduces their reliance on government assistance programs. A recent study found that nearly 40 percent of poor working women could leave welfare programs if they were to receive equal pay wage increases.
Equal pay can bring great savings to taxpayers at a minimal cost to business.
No, federal law prohibits reducing pay for any employee to remedy discrimination. Equal pay means equal treatment for all workers. It means that an employer cannot pay employees within their company or organization different wages based on race, sex or ethnicity. It means that wages must be based on job requirements like skill, effort, responsibility and working conditions without consideration of race, sex, or ethnicity. In Washington State, equal pay was achieved at a cost of 2.6 percent of the state's personnel costs and was implemented over an eight-year period.