Equal Pay Today 2025-2026 Policy Agenda

 

Equal Pay Today is thrilled to release our new 2025-2026 Policy Agenda. Equal Pay Today, a national coalition consisting of over 50 state, national, and tribal advocacy organizations, will be working to enact or defend these critical wage justice protections with an intersectional focus on our most marginalized communities.

While progress has been made since the enactment of the Equal Pay Act of 1963 and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 over 60 years ago, there is still work to be done to address the various factors contributing to gender and race-based pay gaps, which undermine the economic security of millions. As a time when the country faces unprecedented attacks on our civil and constitutional rights, Equal Pay Today firmly believes that every worker deserves fair compensation and equal opportunities.

With the release of our policy agenda and our collective dedication to these goals, we set out a bold course to dismantle systemic barriers, foster wage justice, and create an equitable workforce for all. Our campaign will be focusing on these federal and state policy goals to advance wage justice for all and defend the progress we have made.


Our policy agenda encompasses a range of crucial measures, including those that address:

  • the lack of equal pay for the same or similar work, reliance on salary history, and the lack of pay transparency in the workplace, including the failure to enforce protections;

  • the failure to provide robust workplace harassment and other discrimination protections and enforcement;

  • the segregation of women into underpaid work and poverty-level minimum wage jobs, rampant wage theft, and a subminimum wage that impoverishes tipped and other workers;

  • the lack of paid family leave, paid sick and safe days, and caregiver protections, particularly in low paid work.

Join us in our mission to create a society where fair pay is the norm, discrimination is eradicated, and wage justice prevails for all. Together, we can transform the landscape of employment and build a brighter future for workers everywhere.