GOP hates women. Blocks fair wage act.

[Tyche]

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/...n7064774.shtml


GOP Blocks Paycheck Fairness Act in Senate

(CBS/ AP) Senate Republicans have succeeded in blocking a measure designed to reduce wage disparities between men and women.

The 58-41 vote to take up the Paycheck Fairness Act fell short of the 60 needed to overcome GOP opposition.

Civil rights groups, labor leaders and the Obama administration all supported the bill, which would make employers prove that any disparities in wages are job-related and not sex-based.

Republicans and business groups said the bill would expose employers to more litigation by removing limits on punitive and compensatory damage awards.

President Barack Obama said he was "deeply disappointed" at the pay equity vote and blamed "a partisan minority of senators" for blocking the measure. A similar bill passed in the House last year.

"As we emerge from one of the worst recessions in history, this bill would ensure that American women and their families aren't bringing home smaller paychecks because of discrimination," Obama said in a written statement.

The bill was one of the first measures passed by the House last year after President Barack Obama was elected.

[archibaldcrane]

Isn't it already illegal to pay someone less because of their gender?

In fact, I'm positive it already is illegal.

[Demosthenes11]

how do you prove that

[Tyche]

That's the problem. They have no way to substantiate claims, whereas this act would practically enforce companies to do so.

[Demosthenes11]

well how do you substantiate claims

[Weeks]

Now, if you have women making less than men at a workplace, the burden of proof is on the women to prove that this is because of gender discrimination. This act would have shifted the burden to the employer to prove that it wasn't.

Even though I don't care all that much about this particular bit of legislation, I wish Senate Democrats cared about any of their principles as much as they cared about Parliamentary procedure. They don't even make the Republicans filibuster, they just abandon anything they can't get Republicans to agree on. If someone wants to take a stand against women being paid equally, make them literally take a stand, for fuck's sake.

[Demosthenes11]

I just don't understand how you can prove either way

[Weeks]

You can't really prove that it is gender discrimination, unless management is really stupid about the memos they send out.

A business can prove it isn't, if it isn't, by showing individual pay is based on evaluations, seniority, or some other form of merit.

[Tyche]

As of right now, if a female would go to her employer and ask what a male in her position was to make, not only do they not have to reveal that information, they could fire her for trying to obtain that information. A similar (thought not exact) situation went down about a month ago at our company. A particular assembly supervisor got a very substantial raise when no other supervisors were getting raises. This supervisor has no degree and only been on the job for 6 months. He was then making quite a bit more than all the other supervisors on the floor (some of which had been there for 5+ years). Rumors leaked, and the senior management essentially told the other supervisors that they need to keep their mouth shut, as they can be fired, and it's none of their business.

This act would allow females the right to know what their male co-workers make, whereas that doesn't have to be disclosed now.

[Tyche]

You can't really prove that it is gender discrimination, unless management is really stupid about the memos they send out.

A business can prove it isn't, if it isn't, by showing individual pay is based on evaluations, seniority, or some other form of merit.

This is pretty much the reasoning that the GOP gave as to why they shot it down. Doing this would open companies up to litigation since the burden of proof would be on the company.

[archibaldcrane]

This act would allow females the right to know what their male co-workers make, whereas that doesn't have to be disclosed now.

Then I definitely disagree with this act. Employers shouldn't be disclosing how much I make to my fellow employees.

[Tyche]

Then I definitely disagree with this act. Employers shouldn't be disclosing how much I make to my fellow employees.

They would have to disclose what the job pays, not what you make. Lots of companies provide incentives and bonuses based on education/seniority, etc. I guess I worded it poorly.

[SwampdonkeyPLD]

So all this bill did was shift the burden of proof from the plaintiff to the defendant and Republicans hate women?

I guess it remove damage caps also.

How dare fucking republicans try to protect consumers.

[archibaldcrane]

It's a bit too much like the "Food Libel" laws for my taste - the burden should be on the accuser, like any other discrimination lawsuit.

[SwampdonkeyPLD]

I think this bill just reeks of unintended consequences. Why would a company hire women after this?

[Slapper]

Bitches do less work than men

real talk

[Tyche]

I think this bill just reeks of unintended consequences. Why would a company hire women after this?

lol...

[Zoolander]

I'd really like to see some evidence that women not being paid enough is still a widespread enough issue to open companies up to all kinds of litigation. As of now, I don't see any reason to support such a bill, and I'm a pretty big advocate of social justice. The ".75 for every dollar a man makes" figure I always hear people throw out is a huge load.

[Atreides]

I'd really like to see some evidence that women not being paid enough is still a widespread enough issue to open companies up to all kinds of litigation. As of now, I don't see any reason to support such a bill, and I'm a pretty big advocate of social justice. The ".75 for every dollar a man makes" figure I always hear people throw out is a huge load.

you are such a man

i bet you won't stop and ask for directions either

[quannum]

The bill is based on the premise that the 1963 Equal Pay Act, which bans sex discrimination in the workplace, has failed; for proof, proponents point out that for every dollar men earn, women earn just 77 cents.

But that wage gap isn’t necessarily the result of discrimination. On the contrary, there are lots of other reasons men might earn more than women, including differences in education, experience and job tenure.

When these factors are taken into account the gap narrows considerably — in some studies, to the point of vanishing. A recent survey found that young, childless, single urban women earn 8 percent more than their male counterparts, mostly because more of them earn college degrees.

Moreover, a 2009 analysis of wage-gap studies commissioned by the Labor Department evaluated more than 50 peer-reviewed papers and concluded that the aggregate wage gap “may be almost entirely the result of the individual choices being made by both male and female workers.”

a portion of http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/22/op...22Sommers.html