Civic Register
| 5.20.19
Do You Support Fining Companies That Don’t Ensure Equal Pay?
Do you support fining companies over the gender pay gap?
What’s the story?
- Sen. Kamala Harris, the California Democrat running for president, has revealed a proposal to close the gender pay gap by fining companies that don’t ensure equal pay.
- Companies with 100+ employees would be required to obtain an “Equal Pay Certification" to prove that they are not paying women less than men for the same type of work.
- The average woman working full time earned around 80% of what males earned in the same profession, according to 2017 Census Bureau data.
What if Congress approved the plan?
- Companies would be required to submit data on what they pay employees to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
- Companies would have to prove existing pay gaps were based on merit, performance, or seniority—not gender.
- Companies who do not comply would be penalized 1% of their daily profits for every 1% gap in pay between men and women.
What are people saying?
- "What I am proposing is we shift the burden: It should not be on that working woman to prove it, it should instead be on that large corporation to prove they're paying people for equal work equally," Harris said.
"It's that simple, it's literally that simple. And this, then, is not only about fairness and equality, it's about transparency. Show us what you got. That's it."
- The Republican National Committee criticized Harris’ proposal.
"We don’t need to strap new regulations, burdens, or fines on businesses to create opportunities for women, and President Trump’s economic record is a testament to that," RNC press secretary Blair Ellis told Fox News.
What do you think?
Do you support fining companies over the gender pay gap? Take action and tell your reps, then share your thoughts below.
—Josh Herman
(Illustration by Lily Chen)
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