PROPOSITION PAPER

Proposition Paper

[Institution Name]

Abstract

This paper explores the concept of Equal Pay Act and considers the pros and cons of the equal pay for equal work in the context of ethical, social, economic and legal context. The gender discrimination has been prevailing in many societies for a long time. This discrimination also present in the employment opportunity and salaries. It is shameful that we have a country where women earn one third less than men earn for similar work, and most paradoxical is that there has been a dramatic increase of women's educational levels. Besides the gender discrimination, the unequal pay also exist when two people may possess many of the same skills yet one of them holds a much larger array of skills. Equal Pay Act 1963 was passed by congress in the Kennedy era but could not be followed due to certain issues. Now, in the current society is is necessary to pass the Equal Pay Act to eliminate employment and pay discrimination. The law will gaurantee equal pay for equal work to men and women, establishing objective parameters for the employer to pay men and women differently by factors such as capacity, skills, suitability, responsibility and productivityProposition

That the Congress should pass an equal pay act mandating that men and woman receive equal pay for work of equal value, for all full time employees of the Federal government, its agencies, and companies that do business with them

Executive Summary

Employment is a fundamental, essential part of life for the majority of us. As such it requires much regulation as most could not support themselves without it. Consequentially employers are potentially in a very powerful position. There is much law regulating employment to provide employees with protection from potentially unfair employers taking advantage of their greater power. The Equal Pay Act sets out a four stage approach. The claimant must find a 'comparator'. This is essentially somebody of the opposite sex employed within the same organization, that comparator must then be shown to be performing equal work to that of the claimant. What fundamentally needs to be shown is that the claimants and comparators roles are broadly similar, equivalent or of equal value. Once this is demonstrated the conditions of employment are then compared with particular attention paid to the benefits of employment with all conditions relating to pay considered, for example basic pay, bonuses and holiday entitlement. Once it has been shown that the claimant has a comparator, performing equal work and is receiving better pay, then, to prevent a successful claim the employer must prove this is 'genuinely due to a material difference which is not the difference of sex'. If the employer cannot then compensation will be available in the form of the insertion of an equality clause into the claimant's contract and back pay together with interest from the date of application to the tribunal. No compensation can be made for injury to feelings.

Introduction

There are many laws and regulations that govern how the American work force is ...