Jewish Women International Expresses Strong Disappointment Over Senate’s Failure to Pass Equal Pay Legislation
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 5, 2012
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CONTACT: Ann Rose Greenberg
800.343.2823
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Jewish Women International Expresses Strong Disappointment Over Senate’s Failure
to Pass Equal Pay Legislation
Washington, DC – Despite a groundswell of grassroots support in favor of ending gender-based pay discrimination, today the United States Senate voted to prevent consideration of S. 3220, the Paycheck Fairness Act. The Paycheck Fairness Act would have updated the Equal Pay Act of 1963 and benefited employees by protecting against retaliation for discussing salaries with colleagues and requiring employers to prove that pay disparities exist for legitimate reasons. Jewish Women International’s Executive Director Lori Weinstein released the following statement:
“Despite landmark legislation like the Equal Pay Act and the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, women continue to experience wage discrimination in the workplace, earning 77 cents for every dollar earned by a man, which can amount to hundreds of thousands of dollars in lost wages throughout a woman’s career. In this troubled economy, women and their families cannot afford these significant and unjust disparities.
“Today’s vote on the Paycheck Fairness Act is a huge disappointment for women across the country affected by unfair pay practices, but it is not the end of the road. Jewish Women International has worked to empower women and girls for more than 100 years and we will continue to fight for equality in the workplace so women can realize their full financial potential.”
Jewish Women International is the leading Jewish organization working to end violence against women and girls domestically and internationally. JWI is a principal leader of the Coalition to End Violence Against Women and Girls Globally and a Steering Committee member of the National Task Force to End Sexual and Domestic Violence Against Women. JWI’s multifaceted advocacy efforts focus on the passage of the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2011 and the International Violence Against Women Act while JWI’s healthy relationship and financial literacy programming help girls realize the full potential of their personal strength. For more information, please visit www.jwi.org or call us at 800-323-2823.
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