Senators Turner and Tavares Introduce the FAIR Act to Stop Wage Discrimination

COLUMBUS – Today, State Senators Nina Turner (D-Cleveland) and Charleta B. Tavares (D-Columbus) introduced the Fair and Acceptable Income Required (FAIR) Act to update state laws that protect Ohioans, particularly women, from wage discrimination.

“It is unthinkable that in this day and age women in Ohio make only 77 cents for every dollar made by a man,” said Senator Turner. “Without question, equal work deserves equal pay. At a time when women are increasingly responsible for the economic security of their families, ensuring that they earn a wage commensurate with their work—and on par with a man’s—is absolutely critical.”

The FAIR Act would strengthen Ohio’s wage discrimination laws by requiring employers to substantiate pay differences—for causes other than seniority, merit, or quantity or quality of employee production—with legitimate, job-related or skill-based reasons. It would also prohibit retaliation against workers who discuss salaries with colleagues or raise concerns about wage inequality, and prevent wage discrimination based upon sexual orientation.

Current law provides that an employer may not base differences in pay on race, color, religion,
sex, age, national origin, or ancestry, but has proven far from effective in closing the wage gap between men and women in Ohio.

“While the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009 improved some laws that govern pay discrimination, more must be done to close the wage gap and increase the economic security of women,” said Senator Tavares. “Fair pay would help close the wage gap and increase women’s economic security.”

According to the National Women’s Law Center, in 2010, women working full time, year round typically had lower earnings than men ( $35,284 compared to $45,859) and were more likely to live in poverty (15.2 percent of Ohio women compared to 11.6 percent of men).

This gap remains even when accounting for personal choices, industry, and educational attainment. At a time when women are becoming increasingly important to the economic security of their families, the continued lack of income fairness places hundreds of thousands of Ohioans at risk.

“I stand firmly with Senators Turner and Tavares in the fight for equal pay for women,” said Minority Leader Eric H. Kearney. “This is not a man versus woman issue. This is a right versus wrong issue. It is time that we close the gap and give women the pay that they rightfully deserve.”