Minority Democrats in the Ohio House have again introduced an equal pay for equal work bill. Similar efforts in the past have failed or been blocked by majority Republicans. Co-sponsoring state representative Kathleen Clyde says she has been looking for Republican support, but has been unsuccessful.
The measure would require state and local governments to decide the value of work performed by men and women in different job categories. The bill is being introduced as a new study by the Institute for Women's Policy Research shows if current trends continue, women will not receive equal pay to men until 2059. The study show that last year, American women earned 78 cents for every dollar earned by men.
Study director Jessica Milli says the median income for women working full-time was over 10-thousand dollars less than men last year, which hurts families and the economy.
The report shows no significant increase in inflation-adjusted earnings last year for men or women, as compared with 2013. And it shows women represented by a union earn on average over 200-dollars more per week than those in nonunion jobs.
