WASHINGTON (Reuters) — The White House and
congressional Republicans blasted each other on Tuesday over equal pay
in a battle for women's votes as Democrats try to hold the U.S. Senate
in the November midterm elections.
President Barack Obama signed an executive order prohibiting
federal contractors from retaliating against employees for
disclosing pay levels to co-workers and attacked Republicans for
opposing broader legislation that would make the practice illegal
for companies nationwide.
Republicans said pay discrimination was already illegal and
predicted the Democrat-supported Paycheck Fairness Act would prompt
frivolous lawsuits and discourage companies from hiring.
The Democratic-led Senate is set to hold a procedural vote on the
measure on Wednesday but even if the legislation clears that
chamber, the Republican-dominated House of Representatives appears
likely to oppose it.
The dispute underscored the importance that both parties place on
women voters in an election year where Democrats fear losing control
of the Senate and Republicans are seeking to defend their dominance
in the House of Representatives.
"I don't know why you would resist the idea that women should be
paid the same as men, and then deny that that's not always happening
out there," Obama said at the White House at an East Room event
filled with women.
"If Republicans in Congress want to prove me wrong, if they want to
show that they, in fact, do care about women being paid the same as
men, then show me. They can start tomorrow. They can join us in
this, the 21st century, and vote yes on the Paycheck Fairness Act."
Obama cited U.S. Census data that show the average full-time female
worker earned 77 cents for every dollar a man earns. The U.S.
Department of Labor says the gap is tighter, with women in full-time
jobs earning 81 cents for every dollar men earn.
Critics, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, a business lobby
group, say both figures are misleading.
Other factors also affect the data, such as types of jobs worked by
women, hours worked, and college majors, which affect whether people
get higher- or lower-paying jobs, said Andrew Biggs, a resident
scholar at the American Enterprise Institute.
"The idea that there's a 23 percent pay gap between men and women
based on discrimination is flat-out false," he said.
The Republican National Committee accused Obama's party of playing
politics.
"These are the same Democrats who controlled the White House and
Senate for the last five years but always seem to wait for an
election year to push another empty promise," the RNC said in a memo
distributed to reporters.
"The truth is the 'Paycheck Fairness Act' is a desperate political
ploy. And Democrats are cynically betting that Americans aren't
smart enough to know better."
Support from women helped propel Obama to the White House in 2008
and 2012, and the president frequently recalls that the first bill
he signed into law was the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which
extended time periods for employees to file claims for wages lost as
a result of discrimination.
Lilly Ledbetter, who fought for back pay after discovering she had
been paid less than her male colleagues for doing the same job,
joined Obama at the event.
Focus on the issue put a spotlight on White House practices,
however, and Obama's chief spokesman Jay Carney was forced to
address data showing a pay gap between men and women working there.
Carney said men and women with the same White House positions made
equal pay.
The White House said Obama's executive order would encourage
transparency by allowing employees of federal contractors to compare
notes on their pay, discover violations and seek corrective action.
Obama also directed the U.S. secretary of labor to create
regulations that require federal contractors to submit to the
government summary data on employee compensation including details
on gender and race and use that to encourage voluntary compliance
with equal pay laws.
"We know that about half of all workers report that discussion of
wages and salary information is either discouraged or prohibited,
and/or could lead to punishment," said Betsey Stevenson, a member of
the White House Council of Economic Advisers, in a conference call
with reporters on Monday.
"So a lot of workers work under the threat that this could affect
their job, this could cost them their job."
The Paycheck Fairness Act would require employers to show that any
pay disparity between men and women is not gender-based. AEI's Biggs
said that would force employers to prove a negative.
(Additional reporting by Thomas Ferraro, Richard Cowan and Roberta
Rampton; editing by Caren Bohan and Eric Walsh)
President Barack Obama signed an executive order prohibiting
federal contractors from retaliating against employees for
disclosing pay levels to co-workers and attacked Republicans for
opposing broader legislation that would make the practice illegal
for companies nationwide.
