Sunday, October 21, 2012

In The Dark Again……..Paycheck Fairness Act (S 3320 and H.R.1519)


Unfair pay practices make it harder for all families to flourish and particularly those that are dependent on the woman as the sole wage earner.  Women continue to be paid on average 77 cents to every dollar paid to a man.  Although the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act helps women and others to assert their rights for pay discrimination it does not encompass all the remedies and tools and employer incentives needed to reverse pay discrimination.
The Paycheck Fairness Act updates, closes loopholes and strengths the Equal Pay Act of 1963 by:  baring retaliation against workers who voluntarily discuss or disclose their wages with co-workers; allowing women to receive the same remedies for sex-based pay discrimination that are currently available to those subject to discrimination based on race and ethnicity; and providing training and technical assistance and outreach to help employers eliminate pay discrepancies.

This Act appears to be a no brainer for working women’s and men’s rights.  President Obama has come out strongly in favor of the Act…..But where does Romney stand on the issue?
Like other issues, Romney has lacked leadership and has remained silent on his position regarding the Paycheck Fairness Act. Why won’t Romney share his position on an issue that is significant to helping women and families flourish economically? 

 When asked by Rachel Maddow whether Romney supported the Paycheck Fairness Act, his campaign provided the following answer:

Of course Governor Romney supports pay equity for women. In order to have pay equity, women need to have jobs, and they have been getting crushed in this economy, losing far more jobs than men. As president, Mitt Romney will create a pro-jobs business climate that will put all Americans back to work.

Given the opportunity in last week’s presidential debate to give examples of how he would support women in advancing fair pay, Romney sidestepped the issue completely and instead talked about “Binders” (see my post earlier on The Binders Issue).
And this is what Leadership looks like to Mitt Romney! 

This is NOT leadership, its hedging a bet.  Maybe that’s a common practice for a CEO of a private equity firm, but it certainly is not what a prospective Commander and Chief ought to do.

“We Love You Women!”  Really?

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