What is your definition of “equal work for equal pay”?

Question by Lily Iris: Mine is, if a woman and man were hired on the same day, for the same job title, they should start at the same pay rate. Bonuses and raises to be determined according to the employer, depending on job performance.

But what’s yours, if you have a different opinion?

Answer:

Steve says:
Close – I would also throw in equal credentials – if, in your case, one person has a PhD and the other a bachelors degree, one would assume that the PhD would produce higher quality work right off the bat and would thus pay him/her a higher salary. So, I would change your definition to equal pay for equal work to – two people doing the same work with the same experience should get the same pay – with raises/bonuses to be determined by work product. Hired on the same day I believe is irrelevant if the employer adjusts base salaries as time goes by. If not, you could argue that when hiring a female today and a male one year from now, assuming all else equal, you could pay the male more since he doesn’t fill the same day requirement.

I say:

Steve, you’re wrong. Experience has nothing to do with equal pay for the same job, nor does it have anything to do with degrees. Federal law says this:

Equal Pay/Compensation Discrimination

The Equal Pay Act requires that men and women in the same workplace be given equal pay for equal work. The jobs need not be identical, but they must be substantially equal. Job content (not job titles) determines whether jobs are substantially equal. All forms of pay are covered by this law, including salary, overtime pay, bonuses, stock options, profit sharing and bonus plans, life insurance, vacation and holiday pay, cleaning or gasoline allowances, hotel accommodations, reimbursement for travel expenses, and benefits. If there is an inequality in wages between men and women, employers may not reduce the wages of either sex to equalize their pay.

An individual alleging a violation of the EPA may go directly to court and is not required to file an EEOC charge beforehand. The time limit for filing an EPA charge with the EEOC and the time limit for going to court are the same: within two years of the alleged unlawful compensation practice or, in the case of a willful violation, within three years. The filing of an EEOC charge under the EPA does not extend the time frame for going to court. http://www.eeoc.gov/laws/types/equalcompensation.cfm

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