Barragán, Leger Fernández, Colleagues Introduce Latina Equal Pay Day Resolution, Call for Closing Wage Gap

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 8, 2026 Contact: Jin.Choi@mail.house.gov WASHINGTON — Congresswoman Nanette Barragán (CA-44) and Congresswoman Teresa Leger Fernández (NM-03), Chair of the Democratic Women’s Caucus, introduced a resolution recognizing October 8, 2026 as Latina Equal Pay Day and calling attention to the wage gap that shortchanges Latinas and their families. In 2025, Latinas with reported earnings were paid just 53 cents for every dollar paid to white, non-Hispanic men. “Latina Equal Pay Day is a reminder that equal work deserves equal pay,” said Rep. Barragán. “It is unacceptable that Latinas continue to face a significant wage gap compared to White, non-Hispanic men, despite decades of progress towards workplace equality. This disparity affects not only women, but American families, communities, and our economy. We must continue working to ensure every woman —regardless of her race or ethnicity— is valued fairly and paid equally for her work. Ha llegado el momento de que las latinas reciban igualdad de salarios!” “Latinas work hard, care for our families, and keep our communities running. Yet our paychecks still do not reflect the value of our work,” said Congresswoman Leger Fernández. “When Latinas are underpaid, our families have less money for groceries, rent and child care—all things that have already been made more expensive by the Trump administration. But our contributions are not valued, and our value is not paid. Today, we recommit to closing the gender and racial wage gap. Ya basta. Latinas deserve equal pay TODAY. ” More than six decades after the passage of the Equal Pay Act of 1963, the wage gap persists across sectors and education levels. Latinas working full time, year round were paid just 60 cents for every dollar paid to white, non-Hispanic men. The gap widens to 53 cents when including workers with part-time and part-year earnings. The resolution recognizes how the wage gap hurts women, families, and the economy and reaffirms Congress’ support for equal pay and closing the gender wage gap. It also highlights barriers that contribute to the disparity, including a lack of affordable child care and paid family and medical leave, as well as workplace harassment. “Latinas are paid just 53 cents for every dollar paid to white, non-Hispanic men,” said Mónica Ramírez, Founder and President of Justice for Migrant Women. “We know first hand the consequences of this gap for ourselves and our families. We also recognize the work that is being done every day to change things for the better. That is why we are marking Latina Equal Pay Day this year with three words: Power. Pay. Progress. We are reflecting on the power that Latinas hold, the pay inequities that still exist, the progress that we have made in spite of this pay gap and the work that remains to ensure that Latinas are paid fully and fairly for our work.” “Latinas face one of the largest wage gaps in the nation, earning just 53 cents for every dollar paid to their white non-Hispanic male counterparts. That should be an urgent call to action, not a statistic we simply acknowledge,” said Jessica Ramey Stender, Policy Director & Deputy Legal Director at Equal Rights Advocates. “At a time when the federal government is rolling back basic workplace protections and attacking the rights and economic security of Latinas and other women, we cannot afford to stand by as the wage gap widens. Nearly half of Latina mothers are breadwinners, meaning the wage gap doesn’t just shortchange Latina workers; it keeps many families in poverty with consequences across generations. We know what it takes to close the wage gap: stronger protections against pay discrimination, access to well-paying jobs, and policies that support working parents. We thank Rep. Leger Fernández and the Democratic Women’s Caucus for championing the rights of women and urge all lawmakers to take decisive action to close the wage gap.” “53 cents and 11 years after the first Latina Equal Pay Day, Latinas remain among the lowest-paid workers in the country. For more than a decade, LCLAA has stood shoulder to shoulder with trabajadoras, fighting wage theft, harassment, retaliation, and pay inequity, while championing solutions like good union jobs that deliver real, tangible economic security,” said Karla Pineda, Executive Director of the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (LCLAA). “As meaningful contributors in our homes, communities, and workplaces across every industry, we refuse to be overlooked, undervalued, and silenced. LCLAA has, is, and will continue to commit its efforts to help ensure that all workers– including working women in our comunidad– receive nothing short of what they deserve: dignity, equity, and the real opportunity to thrive rather than merely survive.” Cosponsors include Representatives Ansari, Bonamici, Carbajal, Castor, Chu, Cisneros, Correa, Crockett, DeLauro, Espaillat, Jesús “Chuy” García, Sylvia R. Garcia, Gomez, Mejia, Menendez, Holmes Norton, Ramirez, Randall, Ruiz, Salinas, Tlaib, Vargas, Velázquez, and Wilson. The resolution is endorsed by numerous organizations including the A Better Balance, AFL-CIO, American Association of University Women (AAUW), California National Organization for Women (CA NOW), Clearinghouse on Women’s Issues, Equal Rights Advocates, Equal Pay Today, Family Values @ Work, Feminist Majority Foundation, FL National Organization for Women, Institute for Women’s Policy Research, Justice for Migrant Women, Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (LCLAA), Legal Momentum, Minnesota Indian Women’s Resource Center, MomsRising, Montana Chapter of the National Organization for Women for Women, National Black Worker Center, National Council of Jewish Women, National Immigration Law Center, National Network to End Domestic Violence, National Organization for Women, National Partnership for Women & Families, National Women’s Law Center Action Fund, One Fair Wage, Oxfam America, Public Justice Center, Reproductive Freedom for All, Ujima, The National Center on Violence Against Women in the Black Community, Women Employed, WorkLife Law The resolution can be found HERE . ###