Clinton proposes $27 million for pay equality
January 24, 2000
Web posted at: 1:47 p.m. EST (1847 GMT)
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Bill Clinton on Monday proposed spending $27 million to
improve education and enforcement of federal laws requiring equal pay for equal
work by men and women.
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CNN's Kelly Wallace explains the plan.
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Flanked by Labor Secretary Alexis Herman and U.S. Soccer Team player Michelle Akers, Clinton
said the country's strong economy and job growth make this an ideal time to promote pay equality.
"There's never been a better time to take on this challenge," the
President said.
The initiative would provide $10 million to the Equal Employment
Opportunity Commission to train about 3000 employers about equal pay laws and
to train 1000 EEOC staffers about how to identify and respond to wage
discrimination.
Clinton also wants to give the Labor Department $17 million to help train
women for jobs in areas in which they haven't been traditionally involved, such as
the high-tech industry.
"I have yet to go to a grocery store and buy a loaf of bread, and have
the clerk tell me since you're a woman, you only have to pay 75 cents and not a
dollar," Herman said. On average, women make about 75 cents for every dollar
men make.
Akers, one of the leading players on the U.S. women's soccer team which
won the World Cup championship last year, cited the importance of Title IX in
granting her opportunities in sport, and said the same rules should apply to
the workplace.
"We still have a ways to go. The battle is not over," Akers said. The
Title IX amendment prohibits sex discrimination in federally assisted education
programs.
Akers and her teammates currently are involved in a wage dispute with the
U.S. Soccer Federation, arguing they are underpaid as compared to their male
counterparts on the U.S. soccer team.
Clinton said the principles of Title IX provide a good model for gender
pay equality.
"The same rules that apply on the playing field ought to apply to life,"
the president said.
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