Rep. Johnson Calls for Passage of the Paycheck Fairness Act

Press Release

As we mark Equal Pay Day on April 8, Rep. Hank Johnson (GA-04) said 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 symbolizes when, more than three months into the year, women's wages finally catch up to what men were paid in the previous year.

"According to a report from the American Association of University Women, the women in the Fourth Congressional District still earn only 88 cents for every dollar earned by men," said Johnson. "And nationwide women earn only 77 cents for every dollar earned by men, despite the fact that the Equal Pay Act will mark its 51st anniversary in June."

"Today, women make up about half the workforce and it's wrong that on average they are still being paid less than men," Rep. Johnson pointed out. "A woman deserves equal pay for equal work. As President Obama has stated, "It's time to do away with workplace policies that belong in a "Mad Men' episode.'"

The Paycheck Fairness Act is a central pillar of the House Democrats' When Women Succeed, America Succeeds: An Economic Agenda for Women and Families. The bill strengthens and closes loopholes in the 1963 Equal Pay Act. It provides effective remedies to women who are not being paid equal pay for equal work.

"Equal pay is not simply a woman's issue -- it's a family issue," Rep Johnson added. "Families increasingly rely on women's wages to make ends meet. When women bring home less money each day, it means they have less for the everyday needs of their families -- groceries, rent, child care, doctors' visits."

"I hope that this week, we will see some Senate Republicans work with Democrats to get the 60 votes needed to get the Paycheck Fairness Act finally passed through the Senate," concluded Rep. Johnson. "In this 21st century, in order to strengthen the American family and ensure fairness in the workplace, we should all be working together until we have achieved an America where women are truly paid equal pay for equal work."

Source