[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Con. Res. 21 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. CON. RES. 21

 Recognizing the significance of equal pay and the disparity in wages 
               paid to Latina women in comparison to men.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            October 4, 2023

 Ms. Cortez Masto (for herself, Mr. Lujan, Mr. Padilla, Mr. Menendez, 
 Ms. Rosen, Mr. Sanders, Mr. Brown, Mr. Blumenthal, Mr. Hickenlooper, 
Mr. Fetterman, Mr. Van Hollen, Ms. Warren, Mr. Booker, Mrs. Murray, Mr. 
  Heinrich, Mr. Bennet, Ms. Duckworth, Ms. Klobuchar, Mr. Markey, Mr. 
   Kaine, Mr. Durbin, Mr. Wyden, Ms. Hirono, Mr. Whitehouse, and Mr. 
    Kelly) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was 
  referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
 Recognizing the significance of equal pay and the disparity in wages 
               paid to Latina women in comparison to men.

Whereas October 5, 2023, is Latina Equal Pay Day to observe the pay gap between 
        Latina women and White, non-Hispanic men;
Whereas Latina women make up the second-largest group of women workers in the 
        United States, after White women;
Whereas there are 13,900,000 Hispanic women in the labor force, representing 
        slightly more than 10 percent of all women in the labor force today;
Whereas section 6(d) of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (29 U.S.C. 
        206(d)(1)) prohibits discrimination in wages on the basis of sex for 
        equal work;
Whereas title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C. 2000e et seq.) 
        prohibits discrimination in compensation because of race, color, 
        religion, national origin, or sex;
Whereas despite the passage of the Equal Pay Act of 1963 (29 U.S.C. 206 note) 
        more than six decades ago, which establishes that employers shall not 
        discriminate in wages on the basis of sex, but shall provide equal pay 
        for equal work, Bureau of the Census data show that Latina women working 
        full-time and year-round are paid 57 cents for every dollar paid to 
        White, non-Hispanic men, while the average wage differential for all 
        Latina women with reported earnings working full-time, part-time and 
        part-year is 52 cents for every dollar paid to White, non-Hispanic men;
Whereas the National Women's Law Center has calculated that, on average, Latina 
        women lose over $1,200,000 in potential earnings over a 40-year career 
        to the wage gap;
Whereas, at the rate observed in 2023, Latinas will not reach equal pay with 
        White non-Hispanic men for 183 years, or until 2206;
Whereas the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Bureau of the Census reported the 
        median annual pay for all Latina women in the United States working 
        full-time, part-time, and part-year was $31,600 in 2022, compared to the 
        median annual pay of $60,830 for White, non-Hispanic men;
Whereas the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Bureau of the Census reported the 
        median annual pay for all Latina women working full-time and part-time 
        is $26,485, placing a working mother of two on the brink of poverty;
Whereas job loss during the COVID-19 pandemic distorted measurements of average 
        wages as women with lower earnings in sectors such as leisure, 
        hospitality, and retail were more likely to experience job loss and 
        leave the labor force;
Whereas lost wages mean Latina women have less money to support themselves and 
        their families, save and invest for the future, and spend on goods and 
        services;
Whereas approximately 51 percent of Latina women are unable to earn sick days 
        through their jobs;
Whereas the lack of access to affordable, quality child care, paid family and 
        medical leave, and other family friendly workplace policies forces many 
        Latina women to choose between their paycheck or job and getting quality 
        care for themselves or their family members, a dynamic that contributes 
        to the wage gap and was further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, 
        especially as Latina women disproportionately work in essential jobs 
        that put them at greater risk of exposure to COVID-19;
Whereas if the annual wage gap were eliminated, on average, a Latina woman 
        working full-time and year-round would have enough money to pay for 
        nearly three years of childcare, to pay for 38 months of food, or more 
        than 22 months of rent;
Whereas women face disproportionate sexual harassment in the workplace and data 
        shows that women filed 78.2 percent of the 27,291 sexual harassment 
        charges filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission between 
        fiscal year 2018 and fiscal year 2021;
Whereas workplace harassment forces many women to leave their occupation or 
        industry--targets of harassment were 6.5 times as likely as nontargets 
        to change jobs--or pass up opportunities for advancement, and this 
        contributes to the gender wage gap;
Whereas there is a high-personal cost for women who have been sexually harassed, 
        including unemployment, under-employment, and financial stress resulting 
        from changing jobs, which lead to long-term consequences for earnings 
        and career attainment;
Whereas more than two-thirds of workers paid the minimum wage or less in 2022 
        are women, and there is a disproportionate concentration of women of 
        color in low-wage and tipped jobs;
Whereas the pay disparity Latina women face is part of a wider set of 
        disparities Latina women face in homeownership, unemployment, poverty, 
        access to childcare, and the ability to build wealth;
Whereas the underpayment of Latina women workers causes businesses and the 
        economy to suffer;
Whereas true pay equity requires a multifaceted strategy that addresses the 
        gender and racial injustices that Latina women face daily; and
Whereas many national organizations have designated October 5, 2023, as Latina 
        Equal Pay Day to recognize the additional time that Latina women must 
        work into the next calendar year to receive the earnings of White, non-
        Hispanic men in the prior Census year: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives concurring), 
That Congress--
            (1) recognizes the disparity in wages paid to Latina women 
        and its impact on women, families, the economy, and our entire 
        country; and
            (2) reaffirms its support for ensuring equal pay and 
        closing the gender wage gap.
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