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Josephs commends passage of federal fair pay legislation

PHILADELPHIA, Jan. 23 – State Rep. Babette Josephs is applauding the bipartisan passage of fair pay legislation yesterday by the U.S. Senate and Pennsylvania's senators who supported it.

"More than 45 years after the Equal Pay Act, women still earn less than men for the same work, and the disparity is even larger among African-Americans and Latinos," Josephs said. "This legislation has been a long time in coming for women everywhere."

To be known as the Lilly Ledbetter and Paycheck Fairness acts, the measure would deter wage discrimination by closing loopholes in the Equal Pay Act and make it easier for victims of pay discrimination to file a claim with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

"Many women are heads of households in single-parent families, and this wage disparity only keeps them and their children living in poverty. Additionally, in two-income families, women's wages make up about two-fifths of family income. Families need every dollar," she said.

The first part of the legislation was named after Lilly Ledbetter whose case of wage discrimination against Goodyear Tire Rubber Co. was heard by the U.S. Supreme Court who ruled in 2007 that any claims of pay discrimination must be filed with the EEOC within 180 days of the original discriminatory pay decision. Ledbetter only discovered she was paid less than her male counterparts after 19 years of working there. The bill now would start the 180-day clock with the issuance of each paycheck.

The Paycheck Fairness Act would require an employer to prove that the wage disparity is due to a job-related issue rather than gender and bars retaliation against workers who disclose their wages.

The U.S. House of Representatives first passed the legislation on Jan. 9 and is expected to concur on the Senate's version of the legislation. President Obama has said that he would sign it.

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