Obama Pushes for Equal Pay in Federal Workforce

By Marcelle Hutchins 4-7-14

President Barack Obama – Courtesy: Wikimedia Commons

President Barack Obama announced this week that he is ready to impose workplace rules on wage between men and women federal contract workers.

As part of the president’s effort to close the wage gap for women, two executive orders will be signed at a White House event on Tuesday.Both executive orders aim to prohibit retaliation against employees and make it easier for underpaid women to discover unfair differences in pay.

The president will not seek congressional approval, demonstrating his ambition to be seen as a leader.Obama’s decision comes as a surprise, but at the same time his executive orders are sure to help the 1 in 5 American workers employed by federal contractors.

The president’s announcement comes ahead of this week’s Senate debate on the Paycheck Fairness Act, a bill that would make it more difficult for employers to pay female workers less than men.The bill will apply to all employers, not just those with federal contracts.

Although women hold nearly half of all jobs, they only earn about  77 cents on the dollar compared to men, according to Obama and his aids.