House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the united front of Democrats in Congress have introduced the Paycheck Fairness Act in an attempt to close the gender pay gap and strengthen equal pay protections.
According to the Institute for Women's Policy Research, a woman working full-time in 2017 made nearly 20 percent less than the average man, with the disparity being far worse for women of color. The pay gap between white men and Latinas is particularly striking. In Houston, Texas, for example, “Hispanic women earn around 35% of what white men make,” according to Business Insider.
Unacceptable!
Democrats have tried to pass similar legislation multiple times over the last 20 years, only to get shut down by the largely white, rich group of men controlling the U.S. Senate. In fact, Mitch McConnell and his millionaire male allies in the Senate have blocked it four times since 2012.
Standing together with fellow women Congress members, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez explained why Democrats are plunging forward now and how rules forbidding employees from discussing salaries, as well as employer questions about pay history, ultimately work in combination to harm women and keep their salaries lower than men in the same jobs. Saying it is ‘time to pay people what they are worth and not how little they are desperate enough to accept,” AOC drew a lot of head nods and other signals of solidarity from the female members of Congress next to her. Take a listen below.
Tip of the hat to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who continues to promote and support the goals of women in Congress, letting them shine and lead the way. Pelosi put it best, saying, “When women succeed, America succeeds.” Indeed. Rep. Rosa DeLauro noted the significance of introducing this bill on this date, the 10th anniversary of President Obama signing the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which overturned a Supreme Court decision which "severely restricted the time period for filing complaints of employment discrimination concerning compensation."
In fact, Lily Ledbetter joined the Democratic women as they made the announcement, seen here wearing black, standing next to the legendary Rep. Barbara Lee.
It’s wonderful to see this particular group of driven, united women fighting for all the women of America. Mitch McConnell won’t be in the U.S. Senate forever and many of the faces at today’s announcement will be there long after he’s gone. These women will persist and one day, this legislation will become a reality.