U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
PRESS RELEASE
8-16-11
Agencies Issue Joint Letter on Equal Pay in the Federal Government
WASHINGTON -- The U.S Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) pledged to ensure "rigorous enforcement" of equal pay laws for federal employees, releasing a joint letter today. The letter will be sent to all civilian federal employees.
EEOC Chair Jacqueline A. Berrien released the letter at the EEOC's EXamining Conflicts in Employment Law (EXCEL) conference in Baltimore, the EEOC's premiere training event for federal sector equal employment. Chair Berrien said: "We cannot achieve our national commitment to equal employment opportunity until women are included as equal partners in every workplace, including the federal government. The federal government should be a model employer in every regard—including equal pay."
"Equal pay for equal work is the law, it's right, and its time has come. OPM and the EEOC are working together to ensure that federal equal pay laws are vigorously enforced in the federal workplace," said OPM Director John Berry. "Ensuring equal pay for equal work without regard to gender, or any other prohibited basis helps us recruit and retain the most talented workforce to serve the American people. While this wage gap is smaller in the federal government than in other sectors, much work remains to be done to ensure that the federal government is a model employer."
Both agencies are members of the White House's National Equal Pay Enforcement Task Force—which charged them with "providing a road map for federal agencies to increase compliance with federal compensation discrimination laws." More information about the Task Force and its recommendations can be found on the White House's website. On the Task Force, the EEOC is also focusing on private sector enforcement.
According to a 2009 report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO), the gender wage gap for federal employees declined from 28 cents on the dollar in 1987 to 11 cents in 2007. Of that 11 cents gap, seven cents could not be explained by differences in education, years of service, or other non-discriminatory factors.
While still significantly less than the current 33 cent wage gap in the private sector, and far less than the overall gap of 41 cents in 1963, the year the Equal Pay Act took effect, "clearly much work remains to be done in order to close the wage gap," the letter noted. Representatives from both agencies are working with the GAO to identify further causes of the wage gap and ways to combat it.
The letter points out that sex-based compensation discrimination is illegal under both the Equal Pay Act and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, both of which apply to federal sector as well as other public and private sector employers. In addition to gender, compensation discrimination is also prohibited on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, disability and genetic information or family medical history.
"We take our obligation to ensure that the federal government is a model employer very seriously, and are working to ensure that all federal employees have the opportunity to realize the promise of equal pay for equal work," the letter concluded.
The EEOC enforces the nation's laws against employment discrimination. More information is available on the EEOC's website: www.eeoc.gov. Additional information on the federal sector EEO process can be found at www.eeoc.gov/federal/.
http://www.eeoc.gov/eeoc/newsroom/release/8-16-11.cfm
Showing posts with label National Equal Pay Enforcement Task Force. Show all posts
Showing posts with label National Equal Pay Enforcement Task Force. Show all posts
Monday, August 29, 2011
Monday, May 2, 2011
Gender-Based Wage Gap Persists, Experts Agree at EEOC Forum
U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
PRESS RELEASE
4-28-11
Panels of Speakers and Informational Fair Commemorate Equal Pay Day at Agency
WASHINGTON—Gender-based wage discrimination remains a problem today and a percentage of the wage discrepancy cannot be explained by non-discriminatory factors, said government and private experts at a public forum held today at the headquarters of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).
The forum was one of 24 such events the EEOC is sponsoring across the country during April and May to raise awareness of the problem of wage discrimination and to educate the public. The Commission is a key member of the National Equal Pay Enforcement Task Force, launched by President Obama to “improve compliance, public education, and enforcement of equal pay laws.” The headquarters event featured leaders from other Task Force members including the Departments of Justice and Labor, and the Office of Personnel Management.
“We have come a long way since the days when gender-based inequities in access to jobs and payment of wages were sanctioned by law, but studies show that a significant portion of the wage disparity cannot be explained by differences in experience, specific work performed, education or other non-discriminatory factors,” said EEOC Chair Jacqueline A. Berrien. “This persistent disparity is a stark reminder that the EEOC’s work to end every form of sex discrimination in the workplace -- including compensation discrimination -- is still unfinished business.”
In addition to Chair Berrien, the following government experts presented their agencies’ particular perspectives on the issue of wage discrimination: Thomas Perez, Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights at the Department of Justice; Sara Manzano-Diaz, Director of the Women’s Bureau, U.S. Department of Labor (DOL); Patricia Shiu, Director of the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP), DOL; Nancy J. Leppink, Acting Administrator of the Wage & Hour Division, DOL; and Christine Griffin, Deputy Director, Office of Personnel Management.
Sara Manzano-Diaz of the Women’s Bureau -- which celebrated the 90th anniversary of its founding last year -- said that from its inception the Bureau had as one of its main purposes the equalization of wages between women and men. Patricia Shiu, head of the OFCCP, told the audience of approximately 125 people that closing the wage gap is not just a civil rights issue, but an American recovery issue. All the government leaders stressed the value of the inter-agency cooperation that has resulted from the national Task Force.
Katherine M. Kimpel, a partner in the law firm Sanford Wittels & Heisler, kicked off the second panel by stating that if women think they are being paid equitably in their jobs, unless they have looked at the relevant data, the likelihood is that they are not. She said that many times women had come to consult her about other discrimination issues, insisting that pay was not a problem, only to find out later that they were being underpaid.
Serena Fong of Catalyst, a nonprofit membership organization dedicated to expanding opportunities for women in business, said that there is a gender leadership gap as well as a pay gap. She noted that over 98 percent of Fortune 500 companies have male CEOs, and that the salary studies conducted by Catalyst show that women at these companies start off with salaries $4,600 less than men, even accounting for differences in education and experience.
Cecelie Counts, the legislative representative of the AFL-CIO, told the group that it’s important not to forget the lowest wage earners -- day care workers, cleaners, aides -- for whom the wage gap has an even more pronounced impact. According to Lisa Maatz, Director of Public Policy and Government Relations of the American Association for University Women (AAUW), one way to try to combat the wage gap is through legislation. She regretted the failure of the Paycheck Fairness Act to pass during the last Congress, but noted that the bill had been reintroduced in the Senate and House.
Following the formal presentations, audience members attended an informational fair with materials provided by a variety of organizations, including the Society of Human Resource Management; the National Partnership of Women and Families; the National Committee on Pay Equity; the District of Columbia Office of Human Rights; and Mana, a national Latina organization.
The EEOC enforces federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. More information is available at www.eeoc.gov.
http://www.eeoc.gov/eeoc/newsroom/release/4-28-11a.cfm
PRESS RELEASE
4-28-11
Panels of Speakers and Informational Fair Commemorate Equal Pay Day at Agency
WASHINGTON—Gender-based wage discrimination remains a problem today and a percentage of the wage discrepancy cannot be explained by non-discriminatory factors, said government and private experts at a public forum held today at the headquarters of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).
The forum was one of 24 such events the EEOC is sponsoring across the country during April and May to raise awareness of the problem of wage discrimination and to educate the public. The Commission is a key member of the National Equal Pay Enforcement Task Force, launched by President Obama to “improve compliance, public education, and enforcement of equal pay laws.” The headquarters event featured leaders from other Task Force members including the Departments of Justice and Labor, and the Office of Personnel Management.
“We have come a long way since the days when gender-based inequities in access to jobs and payment of wages were sanctioned by law, but studies show that a significant portion of the wage disparity cannot be explained by differences in experience, specific work performed, education or other non-discriminatory factors,” said EEOC Chair Jacqueline A. Berrien. “This persistent disparity is a stark reminder that the EEOC’s work to end every form of sex discrimination in the workplace -- including compensation discrimination -- is still unfinished business.”
In addition to Chair Berrien, the following government experts presented their agencies’ particular perspectives on the issue of wage discrimination: Thomas Perez, Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights at the Department of Justice; Sara Manzano-Diaz, Director of the Women’s Bureau, U.S. Department of Labor (DOL); Patricia Shiu, Director of the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP), DOL; Nancy J. Leppink, Acting Administrator of the Wage & Hour Division, DOL; and Christine Griffin, Deputy Director, Office of Personnel Management.
Sara Manzano-Diaz of the Women’s Bureau -- which celebrated the 90th anniversary of its founding last year -- said that from its inception the Bureau had as one of its main purposes the equalization of wages between women and men. Patricia Shiu, head of the OFCCP, told the audience of approximately 125 people that closing the wage gap is not just a civil rights issue, but an American recovery issue. All the government leaders stressed the value of the inter-agency cooperation that has resulted from the national Task Force.
Katherine M. Kimpel, a partner in the law firm Sanford Wittels & Heisler, kicked off the second panel by stating that if women think they are being paid equitably in their jobs, unless they have looked at the relevant data, the likelihood is that they are not. She said that many times women had come to consult her about other discrimination issues, insisting that pay was not a problem, only to find out later that they were being underpaid.
Serena Fong of Catalyst, a nonprofit membership organization dedicated to expanding opportunities for women in business, said that there is a gender leadership gap as well as a pay gap. She noted that over 98 percent of Fortune 500 companies have male CEOs, and that the salary studies conducted by Catalyst show that women at these companies start off with salaries $4,600 less than men, even accounting for differences in education and experience.
Cecelie Counts, the legislative representative of the AFL-CIO, told the group that it’s important not to forget the lowest wage earners -- day care workers, cleaners, aides -- for whom the wage gap has an even more pronounced impact. According to Lisa Maatz, Director of Public Policy and Government Relations of the American Association for University Women (AAUW), one way to try to combat the wage gap is through legislation. She regretted the failure of the Paycheck Fairness Act to pass during the last Congress, but noted that the bill had been reintroduced in the Senate and House.
Following the formal presentations, audience members attended an informational fair with materials provided by a variety of organizations, including the Society of Human Resource Management; the National Partnership of Women and Families; the National Committee on Pay Equity; the District of Columbia Office of Human Rights; and Mana, a national Latina organization.
The EEOC enforces federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. More information is available at www.eeoc.gov.
http://www.eeoc.gov/eeoc/newsroom/release/4-28-11a.cfm
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