In today s proclamation, the President notes that on April 11 of this year, American women's wages for 1997, when added to their entire 1996 earnings, finally equaled what men earned in 1996 alone. In issuing the proclamation, the President acknowledges that women and minority workers have long fueled our nation's progress, and that their achievements must be recognized in order to leave a legacy of equality and justice for their children. Furthermore, President Clinton urged employers to review their pay practices to see that employees are paid fairly and noted that fair pay can be implemented simply and without incurring undue costs.
Statistics show that women who belong to unions are far less likely to suffer wage discrimination.
The settlement in the Washington State case drew to a close a decade-long battle. The union was able to demonstrate that the pay for these jobs was not based on the skill, effort, and responsibility required for the job, but rather was based on discriminatory pay practices. Giving lip service to Title VII's prohibition against compensation discrimination, federal judges have erected almost insurmountable evidentiary barriers to plaintiffs seeking redress in the federal courts. We join the many pay equity advocates in working toward the bill's final passage. The Fair Pay Act would require employers to provide equal pay for work of equivalent value, as defined by a composite of a job's skill, effort, responsibility, and working conditions.