“If that person must go to work to put food on their table, that means they are risking their own health and the health of their co-workers,” said Vicki Shabo, director of work and family programs for the Washington-based National Partnership for Women and Families.

“Mothers and fathers are trying to put food on the table and give their children a better life,” says Vicki Shabo, director of work and family programs for National Partnership for Women & Families.

The Paycheck Fairness Act would have shielded workers from retaliation if they discuss their salaries with coworkers. Employers would have had to “prove that pay disparities exist for legitimate, job-related reasons,” according to the National Partnership for Women & Families. In addition, the bill would have closed disparities in the legal remedies available for violations of the Equal Pay Act, so workers could claim the same kinds of damages provided under other wage discrimination laws.

“Los salarios injustos provocan un daño real y duradero a las mujeres, a las familias y a nuestra economía. Con las mujeres que constituyen casi la mitad de la fuerza de trabajo y sirven como sostén de la familia en dos tercios de los hogares, es el momento para finalmente poner fin a políticas salariales del pasado,” dijo Debra L. Ness, presidenta de la National Partnership for Women & Families.