Pelosi Statement Commemorating Equal Pay Day

Pelosi Statement Commemorating Equal Pay Day

- House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi released the following statement today to commemorate Equal Pay Day, which symbolizes the day each year that women's wages catch up to men's wages from the previous year:

"Today, almost four full months into the new year, women throughout the country mark the date to which they have worked just so their wages equal the same amount paid to men in the previous year. For many, closing the wage gap is not just a matter of equity, but survival. Many low-wage women workers are the source of sole support for their families. Economic equity and self-sufficiency are essential to achieving the American dream. It is outrageous that women begin the quest to achieve that dream already at a deficit.

"While equal pay for equal work is long overdue, the Bush Administration seems determined to move our nation backward rather than forward in achieving that goal. Last year, we saw the Department of Labor eliminate its Equal Pay Matters Initiative and, until the Senate voted to stop it, the Bureau of Labor Statistics intended to stop collecting data on women workers.

"I am proud to be a longtime supporter of Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro's Paycheck Fairness Act to ensure that all women will finally earn equal pay for equal work. It is a matter of justice and of common sense, and working women deserve nothing less."

http://democraticleader.house.gov/press/releases.cfm?pressReleaseID=1524