Walz Calls for Passage of the Paycheck Fairness Act on Equal Pay Day

Women in Minnesota Earn Only 80 Cents for Every Dollar Earned by Men

Washington, D.C. [4/14/15] – Today, as we mark Equal Pay Day on April 14, Representative Tim Walz (D-MN) stated that more needs to be done to close the wage gap that still exists between women and men – including passage of the critical Paycheck Fairness Act.  Equal Pay Day acknowledges that it took an additional three-plus months into 2015 for women’s wages to finally catch up to wages earned by men in 2014.

“It’s shocking that in 2015, we’re still fighting to ensure equal pay for equal work,” Representative Walz said. “And, let me be clear, equal pay isn’t just a women’s issue—it’s an economic and middle class family issue. Families often rely on women’s wages to make ends meet.  When women bring home less money each day, they have less for the everyday needs of their families – groceries, rent, child care, gasoline.”

According to a report from the National Women’s Law Center, women in Minnesota earn only 80 cents for every dollar earned by men. And nationwide women earn only 78 cents for every dollar earned by men. Walz believes action must be taken to ensure women receive equal pay for equal work and called for passage of the Paycheck Fairness Act, which strengthens and closes loopholes in the 1963 Equal Pay Act. 

“It’s time to get this done for hardworking Minnesota families,” Walz added.

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