Tom Harkin

Yet women today still make only 77 cents for every dollar that the average man makes

From Harkin's Website:

Today, more than 60 percent of women are in the workforce, with women serving as the sole breadwinner in 10 million American households. Yet women today still make only 77 cents for every dollar that the average man makes. In other words, each year, it takes until April 22nd for women to finally reach the earnings mark that their male counterparts achieved by December 31st of the prior year. That such pay discrimination persists in the 21st century is unbelievable - and unacceptable. Yet it is often excused under current law. Even when women can prove instances of pay discrimination, a recent Supreme Court ruling may prevent them from filing suit. Last year the Court held that a woman who had been a victim of pay discrimination over a 20-year period could not sue because she had failed to file suit within six months after her first unfair pay level was set. As a practical matter, this standard makes is virtually impossible for a woman to prove discrimination. That’s why I am sponsoring a bill, the Fair Pay Restoration Act, to clarify that every act of discrimination, or each paycheck received, resets the clock for bringing suit. I have also introduced a separate bill, the Fair Pay Act, to address the broader issue of the wage gap. This bill requires that, where working conditions are similar, men’s and women’s wages should also be similar.

Posted on 6/29/2008 4:02:17 PM by TMassApproved 7/9/2008 2:54 PM