Paycheck Fairness: How Long Will it Take?
Maine Women’s Lobby Responds to Vote to Defeat Paycheck Fairness Act
Statement of Sarah Standiford, Executive Director, Maine Women’s Lobby
“The failure of the U.S. Senate to proceed to an up-or-down vote on the Paycheck Fairness Act has jeopardized the economic standing of Maine’s women, and the families that they support. The Maine Women’s Lobby is disappointed that Senator Snowe and Senator Collins refused to support the cloture motion on Paycheck Fairness.
“The principles of fairness and equity were set back today. Unfortunately, so was the Nation’s economic recovery. Recent U.S. Census data demonstrates that the gender wage gap is widening in Maine. Women in Maine are now earning just 77 cents to a man’s dollar. The bill would have provided grants to improve women’s ability to negotiate for equal pay and deterred discrimination by strengthening penalties for equal pay violations (bringing them on par with other civil rights violations). It was designed also to provide greater levels of wage transparency, allowing employees to discover instances of employer discrimination.
“Even though 84% of Americans support these new tools to promote equal pay, unfortunately today, the U.S. Senate failed to stand up for the needs of working women.
“The recovery of the American middle class begins and ends with well-paying jobs, but that cannot happen if women are bringing home less and less each year. Women are increasingly the sole breadwinners for their families. That means equal pay is not just a matter of fairness—but also the key to a family’s ability to make ends meet.
“The question before Maine women is now: How long will we have to wait for fair pay?”
The Maine Women’s Lobby is a non-partisan, non-profit, membership organization working since 1978 to increase opportunities for women and girls through advocacy and legislative action. www.mainewomen.org
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