The Equal Pay Act of 1963 (EPA)

The Equal Pay Act of 1963 (EPA) is an amendment to the Fair Labor Standards Act. It requires that male and female workers receive equal pay for work requiring equal skill, effort and responsibility, and performed under similar working conditions. The crucial question under the law is not whether employees of one sex possess additional training or skills, but whether the nature of the duties actually performed requires or utilizes those particular skills. Wage differentials are permitted, however, if they are based on factors other than sex, such as a seniority system, a merit system, or a system measuring earnings by quantity or quality of production. The Equal Pay Act specifically prohibits labor unions from causing or attempting to cause an employer to discriminate on the basis of sex in the payment of wages.