Biden is marking the 15th anniversary of landmark pay equity law with steps to help federal workers

WASHINGTON — The Biden administration is marking Monday’s 15th anniversary of a landmark federal pay equity law with new action to help close gaps in pay for federal employees and employees of federal contractors. Despite progress since the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act was signed into law in January 2009, President Joe Biden said women who work outside the home are still paid an average of 84 cents for every dollar earned by a man, and that the pay disparities are greater for many women of color. The Democratic president said the “common-sense” steps announced Monday “will help pay millions of workers fairly, close gender and racial wage gaps and yield tangible benefits for the federal government and federal contractors.” The Office of Personnel Management is issuing a final rule to bar the government from considering a person’s current or past pay when determining their salary for federal employment. “But we also realize that any gap is unacceptable.” The National Partnership for Women and Families said the 84 cents that women earn for every dollar paid to a man results in a gap of $9,990, a sum that could help a working woman pay for approximately 64 weeks of food, seven months of mortgage and utility payments, about nine months of rent or more than a year of additional child care.