Rep. George Miller Statement on Equal Pay Day
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the senior Democrat on the House Education and the Workforce Committee, issued the following statement on Equal Pay Day. Equal Pay Day marks how much longer a woman must work into 2012 to earn as much as a man earned in 2011 alone. According to Census data, in 2011 women earned just 77 percent of what was earned by their male counterparts.
“Equal pay for equal work is about basic fairness. Paying women less than men for doing the same work is not just immoral. It’s bad economics. If women and their families are not paid the wages they are owed, they have less purchasing power and are less able to make ends meet. When we don’t value women’s work, we are forced to compete globally with one hand tied behind our back.
“Every American who works for a living deserves a fair and decent wage. That’s why I introduced and pushed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, the first major piece of legislation signed into law by President Obama, to restore women’s rights to fight pay discrimination. And that’s why I continue to be a proud lead sponsor of the Paycheck Fairness Act with my colleague Rep. Rosa DeLauro. Closing the wage gap is a moral and economic imperative.”
Lilly Ledbetter sat down with Rep. Miller to discuss the landmark law that was named after her. View the video.
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