GOP Lawmaker Says Sick Leave, Equal Pay Bills Make Women 'Look Like Whiners'

[sheshe2]

A package of bills in Minnesota that would enhance women's economic security by raising the minimum wage, providing paid family and sick leave and addressing the gender pay gap makes women "look like whiners," a state GOP lawmaker said last week.

"We heard several bills last week about women's issues and I kept thinking to myself, these bills are putting us backwards in time," State Rep. Andrea Kieffer (R) told colleagues at a Wednesday hearing on one of the measures. "We are losing the respect that we so dearly want in the workplace by bringing up all these special bills for women and almost making us look like whiners."

snip

The Minnesota Women's Economic Security Act is an omnibus bill intended to address the barriers to economic progress that Minnesota women face. Among other measures aimed at helping working women, the legislation would raise the minimum wage to $9.50 and protect women from discrimination in the workplace and unfair pay. Additionally, it would expand access to affordable childcare and paid sick and family leave, enhance protections for victims of domestic and sexual violence and encourage women entrepreneur’s business development in traditionally male-dominated industries.

The package of bills, introduced by Rep. Carly Melin (D), is currently moving through committees in Minnesota's Democrat-controlled House and Senate. One of the measures, the minimum wage bill, passed on a party-line vote last year in both chambers and is currently in conference committee. Supporters of the package are expecting it to pass, despite Republican opposition.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/18/andrea-keiffer-whiners_n_4985812.html

WTF is Andrea talking about?! We, as women are losing RESPECT FOR ASKING FOR EQUAL PAY AND SICK LEAVE!!!! We are almost looking like Whiners!?

Will someone save us from the stupid, asinine, blind, spiteful and totally out of touch members of the GOP. You got yours and screw the rest of us.

This coming from a woman hurts all the more.

[SheilaT]

1. I'm old enough to remember when there were special

laws "protecting" women in the workforce. They were one way of justifying paying women less than men for the exact same work.

Among the many things that are wrong with this sort of thinking is that it inevitably pits one group against another. The way unions have been demonized because their members get good wages, insurance, and retirement. Non union people are encouraged to hate this, not understand that they should also have the same.

And so it goes.

[William769]

2. Are they putting something in the water in Minnesota?

Sheesh.

[sheshe2]

3. That this comes from a woman...

It blows my mind and it breaks my heart, William.

I don't know what they are drinking there. Yet it is not good.

[Cha]

4. Thanks for highlighting this, she~