Equal Pay Act of 1963
In 1868 a major objective of the Knights of Labor was equal pay for men and women. During World War I and World War II the National War Labor Board had the power to set labor standards for American businesses. During the Korean War the Wage Stabilization Board set these standards. In all three cases they set equal pay policies for both sexes during wartime. During the war, Rosie the Riveter was paid the same wage as males doing the same job. In 1919 two states, Michigan and Montana, passed equal pay laws. But it wasn't until after World War II that any other states followed their examples. The United States Women's Bureau, a part of the United States Department of Labor, was established in 1920. Since their start they have pushed for equal pay. In 1952 the National Committee for Equal Pay was established as a coalition of several woman's, labor, business, and civic group|groups. They began a campaign for new laws requiring equal pay. In 1945 the 79th Congress introduced an equal pay bill that did not pass. It was 18 years later when the 88th Congress passed such legislation. It was called the Equal Pay Act of 1963.