On the recordMay 31, 2012
I urge defeat of the previous question and the consideration of the Paycheck Fairness Act to correct a terrible injustice where women are systematically paid less than men for doing the same work. On average, women receive 77 cents for every dollar paid to male workers. This disparity means a loss of nearly $11,000 a year, or the equivalent of 4 months of groceries, 5 months of child care, and over 6 months of rent and utilities. The wage gap is even more pronounced for black and Latina women, who receive just 62 cents and 54 cents, respectively, for every dollar paid to white men. It is unbelievable that in the 21st century, wage discrimination against women remains so rampant in a Nation that values family and fairness so highly. In good conscience, how can this House do nothing while our wives, daughters, mothers, and grandmothers are discriminated against in the workplace? Don't they deserve equal pay for equal work and the opportunity for a better life? I urge my Republican colleagues to do the right thing and help pass the Paycheck Fairness Act to fulfill our Nation's promise of fairness, equality, and justice for all.
