Burger: Time To End Pay Discrimination

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, April 25, 2008

CONTACT: Greg Denier
Noreen Nielsen
202-721-0660

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The following is a statement from Change to Win chair Anna Burger, the highest ranked woman in the labor movement, regarding the Republican filibuster of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act earlier this week. The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act was introduced to overturn the Supreme Court decision issued last year that broke a longstanding precedent and placed unnecessary hurdles in the path of workers seeking equal opportunity in the workplace.

"It is an outrage that Senate Republicans refused to break their filibuster to protect employers who practice wage discrimination. Women who work full-time year-round had median annual earnings in 2006 that were only 77 percent of what men earned, and women of color fared even worse. It's time to make real the basic principles our country was founded on -- fairness, justice and equality -- and to ensure meaningful remedies for victims of discrimination.

"We applaud the Senate majority for its action to reverse the miscarriage of justice represented by the Supreme Court's Ledbetter decision. Our nation has long supported and passed bipartisan laws to protect civil rights, now is not the time to start turning back the clock. With stagnant wages and rising living costs, the denial of remedies for workers who have proven intentional discrimination by their employer deprives workers and their families of the chance to achieve the American Dream. Every Republican who filibustered this bill should be required to answer for their vote at the polls this fall."

** Note: Media representatives interested in scheduling an interview to discuss Change to Win's position on the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act should contact Noreen Nielsen at Noreen.nielsen@changetowin.org. **