Barbara Lee: “First of all, I want to thank Congresswoman Speier for calling us together to speak on behalf of these courageous women…”

“First of all, I want to thank Congresswoman Speier for calling us together to speak on behalf of these courageous women and for her tireless work on their behalf, but also on behalf of women throughout the world. Today, I join my colleagues in standing in support of the FAIR Act and in solidarity with women like Saturnina Plasencia, a Latina single mother of four who was working for $13 an hour in a Dollar store in New York. Now, her general manager subjected her to frequent sexual harassment, and after she refused his sexual demands, she alleged she was given fewer hours than new female hires. When she told him she was pregnant, he angrily responded: ``The baby could have been mine.'' Sadly, Saturnina did not realize when she started work that she had signed a mandatory arbitration agreement, and her case is now in arbitration. Her attorney noted that New York passed a law that would have allowed Saturnina to take her case to court, but the law was struck down based on the Federal Arbitration Act. So Saturnina is forced to arbitrate her claims. Her case is supported by the TIME'S UP Legal Defense Fund, which is housed and administered by the National Women's Law Center Fund. Forced arbitration is just what it says; it is forced. So let's pass the FAIR Act so women will finally have the justice that they so deserve. Enough is enough.…”