Donald Trump Just Quietly Reversed A Critical Obama-Era Equal Pay Rule
Trump’s move is a major assault on equal pay.
Lost in the tragic news coming out of Texas this week is a report that Donald Trump is reversing a critical Obama-era equal pay rule.
The Trump administration will shut down the regulation that requires businesses to track how much they pay workers based on gender and race, the Wall Street Journal reported.
The first, and often most crucial, step towards equal pay is having the data to know whether and how much pay inequity exists in an organization.
The Wall Street Journal report notes that Trump officials will block the rule, which would have gone into effect in the spring.
The Obama rule would have required employers with more than 100 to hand over data on wages to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) with the goal of preventing pay discrimination.
Ivanka says it okay
But don’t worry folks, Donald Trump got the blessing to abandon this equal pay rule from his Daughter Invanka – so it’s all fine.
In a statement, Invanka said, “Ultimately, while I believe the intention was good and agree that pay transparency is important, the proposed policy would not yield the intended results,” Trump said on Tuesday. “We look forward to continuing to work with Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Office of Management and Budget, Congress and all relevant stakeholders on robust policies aimed at eliminating the gender wage gap.”
Fatima Goss Graves, president and CEO of the National Women’s Law Center, responded by saying, “Make no mistake— it’s an all-out attack on equal pay.”
“Today’s action sends a clear message to employers,” Graves added. “If you want to ignore pay inequities and sweep them under the rug, this Administration has your back.”
[image via Wikimedia Commons]
