Comments on: Obama to sign Equal Pay law

By: Maggie

Maggie — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 15:19:20 +0000

This new law is a good thing. It is finally rectifying something that should have been corrected years ago. Just because I don’t know that my male coworkers make more that me within the first 180 days of it happening should not dismiss the fact that it happened.

By: JN

JN — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 01:09:55 +0000

There are also owners and plant managers who have considerable influence in what happens in a business no matter how good the HR person is.

By: George Allen

George Allen — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 22:17:30 +0000

If you were in Congress and you saw that the Court had in effect negated equal pay, how would you write the new law. I have not been able to come up with a solution that is better than what they have recently passed. If someone has a better solution, then we can push for that but in the meantime, put on your big boy or big girl pants and follow the new law. It’s not the end of the world and it might do some good.

By: John

John — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 20:51:10 +0000

KJB quite the contrary. No HR professional enjoys a lawsuit especially a merit less on. But the point of this ruling is that an employee was discriminated against for YEARS! Instead of a corrective action taking place at the place of business they chose to continue their wrong and then wrong became sanctioned by the court. It was for that reason and the reason that the same pay discrimination could now happen to anyone, including you, that thankfully was rectified. HR people should be applauding this.

Our workload in this case was increased not by a merit less lawsuit but once more by unscrupulous business people which had to have had the blessing of HR people. I’m afraid you are placing the blame on the victim and not where it belongs. If HR had been doing their job there would have been no reason for this. Now this does not say that YOU are a bad HR person. It does say that there are bad HR people that create the need for legislative fixes.

Thanks Ricki!

By: KJB

KJB — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 20:10:22 +0000

Some of you are making an assumption that us HR people are bad — and it goes without saying that of course if we, and our managers, do our job right, this shouldn’t be an issue. In my company,it’s not. We DO THE RIGHT THING. We were sued once for pay discrimination and it was found to be without merit. Regardless, having more stringent employment laws that make it easier to get sued still add to workload and cause unneeded work for an HR department.
(I thought this was an HR newsletter…yet the people responding seem very much against the HR profession!)

By: Ricki

Ricki — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 18:35:03 +0000

John, “Bravo!” Your comments are right on the mark. We wouldn’t have all these laws if people did the right thing in the first place…especially HR people! A good HR professional can do a lot towards keeping his/her employer out of trouble by ensuring employees are treated fairly.

By: John

John — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 18:14:30 +0000

“Once signed, the legislation will take “effect as if enacted on May 28, 2007 and apply to all claims of discrimination in compensation under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (29 U.S.C. 621 et seq.), title I and section 503 of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, and sections 501 and 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, that are pending on or after that date.”

By: John

John — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 18:11:40 +0000

Karin, my understanding is that it corrects forward.

By: John

John — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 18:07:39 +0000

Oh good grief! Are you guys really HR people? Your objective is supposed to see that the applicable employment law is administered fairly to both your company and your employees. So what if you have to do extra work (interpreted as doing your job).

There would be no “nanny state” if people in the position of power acted in good faith instead of using a lack of statute to rob their employees. You guys ought to be ashamed.

By: Larry

Larry — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 17:53:31 +0000

The nanny state marches on. There is no such thing as the “rule of law” anymore.