The Paycheck Fairness Act came and went this week just about as fast as you can say, “77 cents to the dollar.” The bill would have:
- given workers more power to sue employers for gender based wage discrimination
- would require some companies to report salary information to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
- would prevent punishment against employees who discussed their salaries with co-workers
However, the bill failed to make it out of the Senate. It fell six votes short of the necessary 60 needed to pass it on to the House. But Republicans called it a fluff bill that didn’t present any real policy, and they might just have a point on this one. While the bill would have expanded worker’s rights, it wouldn’t have done much in terms of shrinking the very real wage gap between men and women.
On Saturday’s Melissa Harris-Perry, we will discuss what the wage gap really means, how we got here, and how to fix it.
April 15 is just around the corner, and you know what that means: Tax Day! While there are some brave souls out there who tackle the feat of filing taxes on their own, the majority of tax-paying individuals will seek out the help of a tax preparer. But before you hire just anyone, we have some advice on what to look out for.
On Thursday, President Obama spoke at the Civil Rights Summit in Austin, Texas, held in honor of the 1964 Civil Rights Act signed by President Lyndon Baines Johnson. As presidential speeches go, President Obama’s have followed a pretty uniform pattern. He almost always imbues both president and professor, a dash of humor, and leaves us with a message of hope and optimism. But on Thursday, as President Obama extolled the virtues and acknowledged the shortcomings of the 36th president, he also highlighted the reality that change cannot manifest itself out of thin air and that a president cannot steer a nation singlehandedly. Host Melissa Harris-Perry and her panel will discuss the reality of President Obama’s legislative legacy. Later, we’ll shift our focus to the ongoing civil rights issue of immigration and deportation in America, speaking to one of the activists currently staging a hunger strike in front of the White House. (Check out this thorough explainer from Vox’s Dara Lind to get a head-start on the discussion.) Be sure to read what we’ve linked above, and watch Melissa Harris-Perry Saturday at 10 a.m. EST on MSNBC! Also, don’t forget to join us on Facebook and Twitter with the hashtag #nerdland.
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