Paycheck Fairness Act Obscures Real Paycheck Protection
July 28, 2008
AWF WILL RATE “NO” VOTE ON HR 1338,
THE “PAYCHECK FAIRNESS ACT”
Dear Representative:
On behalf of millions of hardworking Americans and the Alliance for Worker Freedom (AWF), I am urging you to oppose the misleadingly-named “Paycheck Fairness Act,” H.R. 1338. This bill would harm employers and make it even more difficult for America’s businesses to compete in the current economy and provide stable jobs for Americans.
H.R. 1338 contains several damaging provisions that have nothing to do with protecting workers paychecks. Such provisions include kick-backs to trial lawyers by eliminating the caps on punitive and compensatory damages and making punitive and compensatory damages available for even unintentional wage errors and payment mistakes. These provisions make it easier for trial lawyers to file large class actions, impose comparable worth “guidelines” (which directly impose artificial “job worth” classifications).
Numerous laws are already in place to prevent workplace discrimination. This bill would do nothing more than cripple employers and further impose big-government policies on what should be a natural relationship between employers and employees.
Further, H.R. 1338 would increase the incentive of American companies to relocate overseas, which would increase the immediate unemployment of American workers. At a time when our corporate income tax and labor laws leave us comparative disadvantaged to the rest of the developed world, these policies do nothing but enhance that claim.
If Congress is serious about paycheck-law reform, then policies should address the ultimate fairness to workers which empower each individual to have complete control of their paycheck. Congress should consider passing national “paycheck protection” legislation that would prohibit corrupt union bosses from involuntarily spending union dues on political campaigns. True paycheck freedom is paycheck fairness.
Sincerely,
Brian M Johnson
