Rothman: Pay women as you would men

U.S. Rep. Steve Rothman voted July 31 to make equal pay for equal work a reality to American women by casting his vote in favor of the Paycheck Fairness Act (H.R. 1338). Said Rothman of the vote:

"In the New Direction Congress, Democrats have both introduced and now passed legislation to end pay discrimination against women. As an early cosponsor of the Paycheck Fairness Act, I am delighted that our legislation passed the House today. As the father and step-father of four daughters, I find it outrageous that employers continue to get away with paying women 77 cents for every dollar that a man with the same qualifications, in the same job, earns and that minority women earn even less than that. But this hurts not only a woman’s daily wage, but her retirement savings, pension, and Social Security. It is detrimental to women and the American economy as a whole."

The Paycheck Fairness Act passed in the House of Representatives by a vote of 247 to 178. This legislation will increase penalties against employers who discriminate in the payment of wages, enhance the Department of Labor's outreach and training programs to work with employers to eliminate pay disparities, and enable employees to share salary information with their co-workers. This bill will now be referred to the U.S. Senate.