U.S. VP Harris to headline summit to promote equal pay

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris attends a news conference with Romanian President Klaus Iohannis following meetings at Cotroceni Palace, amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, in Bucharest, Romania, March 11, 2022. Saul Loeb/Pool via REUTERS

WASHINGTON, March 15 (Reuters) – U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris will host a virtual summit on Tuesday to celebrate Equal Pay Day, announcing moves to boost pay equity for new federal workers and employees of federal contractors.

According to senior administration officials, Harris will be accompanied by Labor Secretary Marty Walsh and current and former members of the United States women’s national soccer team, who sued U.S. soccer’s governing body over allegations of gender discrimination in compensation in 2019. Last month, the team won a $24-million settlement.

As part of the summit, Office of Personnel Management will announce plans to propose a rule to address the use of prior salary history in the hiring and pay-setting process for federal employees.

U.S. President Joe Biden will also sign an executive order directing a council overseeing procurement policy to weigh enhancing pay equity and transparency, by limiting or barring federal contractors from taking into account information about job applicants’ past compensation when making employment decisions.

Reporting by Alexandra Alper
Editing by Chris Reese

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