Leading Equal Pay Advocates Call on Administration to Ban Retaliation by Government Contractors

January 29, 2013
Press Release

DeLauro, Mikulski Urge Action on Fourth Anniversary ofLilly Ledbetter Signing

WASHINGTON, DC—Two congressional advocates in the fight forequal pay, Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) and Senator Barbara Mikulski(D-MD) today called on the Obama Administration to issue an executive orderprohibiting government contractors from retaliating against their employees whodisclose salary information. DeLauro and Mikulski sent a letter toPresident Obama (attached to this release) outlining the need for such action.They are also authors of the Paycheck Fairness Act, which would put sucha prohibition on all employers.

"Until Congress passes the Paycheck Fairness Act, theleast our own government can do is set the right tone by expecting compliancefrom folks with whom we do business," DeLauro said. "Ensuringwomen are paid equally for doing the same jobs as their husbands and brotherswill help our economy, putting more money back into the pockets of hardworkingAmericans."

"Women fight every day for equal pay. When they do, they'residelined, redlined or even pink slipped," said Mikulski, Dean of theSenate women. "Right now in the marketplace it is legal to fire a woman if sheasks about her pay, whether she goes to the personnel director or if she asksthe person next to her at the water cooler. While we work to pass the PaycheckFairness Act in Congress, we have to make sure that contractors doing businesswith the United States government are not retaliating against hardworkingAmericans for discussing salary information. This is unfair and it'sun-American."

The Paycheck Fairness Act would strengthen and updatethe Equal Pay Act, signed into law 50 years ago this June. Specifically, it:

  • Requires employers to show pay disparity is truly related to job performance—not gender
  • Prohibits employers from retaliating against employees who discuss or disclose salary information with their co-workers
  • Strengthens the remedies available to wronged employees
  • Empowers women in the workplace through a grant program to strengthen salary negotiation and other workplace skills
  • Requires the Department of Labor enhance outreach and training efforts to eliminate pay disparities