Credit: Ben Raynal/Flickr Creative Commons

Job and pay discrimination are already illegal, but women still do not get equal pay, even with the same qualifications.Too often employers prohibit employees from discussing wages and track men into higher paying jobs and career tracks. Building on our 2015 Legislative Agenda, EOI has set out the following policy goal for 2015:

Promote paycheck fairness with wage transparency and equal access to jobs and career tracks. A Washington Equal Pay Opportunity Act will protect all workers from retaliation for discussing or inquiring about compensation or job assignments; and provide women recourse when differences in pay and job opportunities are not based on job-related factors such as education or experience.

Progress: House Bill 1646, the Equal Pay Opportunity Act sponsored by Rep. Senn, was heard in the House Committee on Labor in early February, and the bill passed out of committee with bipartisan support. It is likely to be voted by the full House of Representatives and sent to the Senate by mid-March. Companion Senate Bill 5630, sponsored by Senator Annette Cleveland, was not heard in the Senate Commerce and Labor Committee.)