Equal Work, Equal Pay
Dear Friend,
Since 2007, I, along with my Democratic colleagues in Congress fought to rectify the Supreme Court's decision against Lilly Ledbetter and all working women facing pay discrimination. Only days after taking office, President Obama stood with Democrats in Congress to sign into law the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, and did just that. Since then, we have continued to fight to strengthen the protections put forth in the Fair Pay Act because we believe equal pay for equal work is not just about fairness. It's about making sure middle-class families are able to make ends-meet.
Today, working women are paid only 77 cents on the dollar compared to working men. Yet women are the breadwinners in over 50% of households. That means middle-class families have to get by with less for groceries, childcare, tuition, and rent. Closing the wage gap is more important than ever and that's why Democrats have been fighting to strengthen the Fair Pay Act and stop employers from paying a woman less simply for being a woman. Unfortunately, efforts to pass this bill, the Paycheck Fairness Act, have been blocked by Senate and House Republicans.
Below, recently compiled numbers by Congressman George Miller, Ranking Member of the House Education and Workforce Committee, highlight Republican opposition to addressing this critical issue.
Equal Pay by the Numbers
247 The number of House Democrats who voted for the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act in 2009
3 The number of House Republicans who voted for the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act in 2009
9 The number of days after his inauguration that President Obama signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act into law
0 The number of hearings held on pay equity issues in the U.S. House in the 112th Congress
2 The number of times the Paycheck Fairness Act has been filibustered in the U.S. Senate
52 The number of Senate Democrats who voted to break the most recent filibuster of Paycheck Fairness
0 The number of Senate Republicans voting to break a filibuster of the Paycheck Fairness Act
Be assured, I will keep fighting to make sure that women are paid fairly and equally so that middle-class families have the resources they need to make ends-meet.
Sincerely,
John F. Tierney
Member of Congress
