Senators Turner and Tavares Urge Congress to Pass Paycheck Fairness Act

Senator Nina Turner

Columbus – State Senators Charleta B. Tavares (D-Columbus) and Nina Turner (D-Cleveland) today joined with President Barack Obama in calling for the U.S. Senate to stand up for women’s rights and pass the Paycheck Fairness Act.  The legislation is scheduled for a vote Tuesday on Capitol Hill. 

“I applaud President Obama for standing up for equal pay for equal work,” said Senator Turner.  “In 2012, it is unconscionable that a pay gap between women and men persists.  Over 600,000 Ohio households are headed by women, a third of which are below the poverty line. This is not just an issue of equity and fairness—it is a matter of economic security for thousands of families across our state.”

Currently, women in Ohio and across the United States make only 77 cents for every dollar a man earns.

Senator Charleta B. Tavares

“We have pay discrimination against women which impacts their quality of life and that of their families. This in turn negatively impacts our economy,” said Senator Tavares.  “President Obama is standing up for pay fairness and equity for women because it is the right thing to do.  Our President believes in what is fair, right and just for women."

Senators Tavares and Turner recently introduced similar legislation (SB 349) in the Ohio Senate to update state laws that protect Ohioans, particularly women, from wage discrimination. The Fair and Acceptable Income Required (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.

SB 349 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.