Republican Minority Denies Women Equal Pay Rights: Clinton, Obama vote for cloture, McCain no show

[Omaha Steve]

http://blog.aflcio.org/2008/04/23/republican-minority-denies-women-equal-pay-rights/

by James Parks, Apr 23, 2008

One day after Equal Pay Day, a minority of primarily Republican senators once again made it harder for women workers to overcome pay discrimination.

The Senate failed to cut off debate on the Fair Pay Restoration Act (H.R. 2831) and bring the bill to the floor for a vote. The 56-42 margin fell four votes short of the 60 needed to end debate and vote on the bill. The House passed the legislation in July 2007. President Bush has threatened to veto the bill if passed by the Senate.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRpYoUu5XH0&feature=related

The legislation, also known as the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, would reverse a 2007 U.S. Supreme Court decision dismissing a suit by Lilly Ledbetter, an employee for 19 years at a Goodyear Tire plant in Alabama. Her suit alleged she was paid less than her male counterparts. (see video.)

Both Democratic presidential candidates, Sens. Hillary Clinton and Sen. Barack Obama, took time out from their campaigns to vote for cloture. But the presumptive Republican nominee, Sen. John McCain, didn’t bother to show up for the vote. Campaigning in Kentucky today, McCain said he opposes the bill and that there are better ways to help women find better-paying jobs.

They need the education and training, particularly since more and more women are heads of their households, as much or more than anybody else.

Apparently, McCain has not read the recent reports which show working women continue to earn less than men even though statistics indicate they are better educated.

Equal pay advocates, including the AFL-CIO and a constituency group, the Coalition of Labor Union Women (CLUW), mobilized members to urge the Senate to pass the bill. If enacted, the act would restore the ability of U.S. workers to sue for pay discrimination.

FULL story at link.