DeLauro Commends DOL on Taking Steps to Ensure Equal Pay

New Requirements Will Better Enable Enforcement of PayEquity

WASHINGTON, DC—Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) releasedthe following statement today commending President Obama and the Department ofLabor (DOL) for rescinding two documents, commonly known as the "CompensationStandards" and "Voluntary Guidelines" that made it harder for DOL to battle paydiscrimination. DOL's actions will better protect workers and strengthen theirability to identify and fight pay discrimination. It will also enable DOL toconduct investigations of federal contractor pay practices, ensuring they arecompliant with existing equal pay laws.

"The Department's announcement is welcome news for themillions of women who are victims of pay discrimination. These Bush-era‘guidelines' have hamstrung DOL and they never should have been implemented inthe first place. Cracking down on pay discrimination matters not just to thewomen who are the direct victims, it matters to the husbands, sons, fathers andbrothers who also suffer when women bring home smaller paychecks.

DeLauro is the author of the Paycheck Fairness Act,which would strengthen and update the Equal Pay Act to erasegender-based wage discrimination. It would strengthen federal outreach,education and enforcement; stiffen penalties for wage discrimination; andprohibit retaliation against workers who share salary information withcoworkers.

Last month, DeLauro called on President Obama to banretaliation by federal contractors against employees who share salaryinformation. You can view that letter here.

DeLauro is the senior Democrat on the subcommitteeresponsible for funding the Labor Department and a longtime advocate forlegislation to close the gender wage gap.