MADISON–On National Equal Pay Day, Rep. Sinicki issued this statement:
“I have introduced Equal Pay legislation in Wisconsin for two decades. For three of those years it was law, and then repealed, but not because the wage gap closed. In fact, sources* claim it will take well over a hundred years to achieve gender parity in pay in the US. “Some of the approaches that can help reduce the wage gap include:
- Pay transparency in the workplace, where employees may discuss their wages or salaries without fear of recrimination, and;
- Employers publish salary ranges for open positions;
- Salary offers for new jobs reflect the value of the work, not a candidate’s current or past earnings;
- Stronger state/federal laws to prohibit and penalize pay discrimination, with remedies and damages available;
- Stronger reporting requirements for employers so states can track pay equity rates.
“The current statistics show that: ‘in 2022, women earned an average of 82% of what men earned, according to a new Pew Research Center analysis of median hourly earnings of both full- and part-time workers. These results are similar to where the pay gap stood in 2002, when women earned 80% as much as men’. ** “Of course, this figure is an average of all women, but broken down, we know that for women of color, the wage gap is much wider. Many states have passed new laws to narrow the wage gaps for all women. Wisconsin needs to lead again in progressive employment policy by strengthening our Fair Employment Law with the measures above. Better pay for women in Wisconsin equals a better life for our families and communities.” * https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/04/136-years-is-the-estimated-journey-time-to-gender-equality/* https://www.dol.gov/agencies/wb/equal-pay-protections** https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2023/03/01/gender-pay-gap-facts/
