Political Quotes

“Mr. President, I rise today on three matters. First and most importantly is the issue of pay equity. Frankly, we should not be talking about this in 2014--the fact that women still too often do not get equal pay for equal work. Senate Republicans showed this morning-- it is disappointing--that too many in this Chamber simply do not think closing the wage gap between men and women--closing the wage gap by which working women are victimized--is that important. Think back to 1963, the beginning, not of the civil rights movement, of course, but of Congressional action in 1963, 1964, and 1965 on voting rights and civil rights. In 1963, the Equal Pay Act came up first. President Kennedy signed it. Women were earning 60 cents for every dollar men earned. Now, 50 years later, that figure has increased only 17 cents. How many more years should people in this country wait? In 2012, median earnings for men working full time in Ohio were $46,700; for women $35,900, an earnings ratio of about 77 percent. The Paycheck Fairness Act would shore up the Equal Pay Act and create stronger incentives for employers to follow the law while helping women fight pay discrimination. The pay gap persists across all occupations and educational levels. From the outset women are paid less than men just 1 year after college in nearly every occupation. The gap grows from there. As the gap grows in pay, the gap grows in pensions. Lilly Ledbetter taught us that.…”