With Democrats needing to turn out their base in November and women comprising a significant part of it, Barack Obama is going the extra measure to keep the so-called War on Women meme alive with two new pay-based executive actions, the full details of which will be announced on Tuesday.
Obama will unveil the two orders on Tuesday, which marks “Equal Pay Day,” the name given to the point in the year at which an average woman’s pay catches up to what a man doing the same job made in the previous year.
One measure will prevent federal contractors from “retaliating against employees who discuss their compensation” but it won’t compel workers to discuss their pay, or mandate that employers reveal it.
According to a White House official who spoke to The Hill, it “does provide a critical tool to encourage pay transparency, so workers have a potential way of discovering violations of equal pay laws and able to seek appropriate remedies.”
Obama’s second act will be to sign “a Presidential Memorandum directing Labor Secretary Tom Perez to draft new regulations requiring contractors to report summary pay information – including data on race and sex – to the agency.”
The measure is designed to ensure equal pay laws, such as the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which promotes fair pay for women. The law’s namesake will be on hand for Tuesday’s announcement at the White House.
More complete details on both measures will be announced by the White House on Tuesday.