Kerry: Senate Approves Fair Pay for Women

[ProSense]

01/22/2009

Senate Approves Fair Pay for Women

Kerry Calls Action "Essential, Long Overdue"

WASHINGTON, D.C. – By a vote of 61 to 36, the Senate today overwhelmingly passed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act strengthening a woman’s ability to ensure equal pay for each paycheck she earns. Senator John Kerry (D – Mass.), who voted in support of the legislation, called for its swift enactment.

“Today we moved one step closer to righting an injustice that has persisted for far too long,” said Kerry. “Women haven’t just been paid less for doing the same work; they’ve been sent a none-too-subtle message that their thoughts and efforts are valued less. This legislation clarifies what the Supreme Court should have known— that employers discriminate every time they issue an unfair paycheck—not just the first time. We should make it easier for discrimination to be rooted out, not harder. I especially want to congratulate my senior senator and mentor Ted Kennedy on the passage of this bill. His leadership has brought us one step closer to closing the pay gap and once again he is in the vanguard of the fight against discrimination.”

The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act clarifies that the laws against pay discrimination apply to every paycheck or other compensation a worker receives – allowing workers to sue for pay discrimination no matter when they realized they were being discriminated against. When the Equal Pay Act of 1963 passed, women were making 59 cents to every one dollar earned by their male counterparts. Today, that number is still only 78 cents.

Edited to add: Roll Call

[BlooInBloo]

1. Naturally Obama will betray us all..

by signing it.

Never have I felt so betrayed.

[polichick]

2. Great! But who are the 36 throwbacks?

[ProSense]

3. Resmuglicans. n/t

[karynnj]

9. Here's your "Nos"

NAYs ---36
Alexander (R-TN)
Barrasso (R-WY)
Bennett (R-UT)
Bond (R-MO)
Brownback (R-KS)
Bunning (R-KY)
Burr (R-NC)
Chambliss (R-GA)
Coburn (R-OK)
Cochran (R-MS)
Corker (R-TN)
Cornyn (R-TX)
Crapo (R-ID)
DeMint (R-SC)
Ensign (R-NV)
Enzi (R-WY)
Graham (R-SC)
Grassley (R-IA)
Gregg (R-NH)
Hatch (R-UT)
Inhofe (R-OK)
Isakson (R-GA)
Johanns (R-NE)
Kyl (R-AZ)
Lugar (R-IN)
Martinez (R-FL)
McCain (R-AZ)
McConnell (R-KY)
Risch (R-ID)
Roberts (R-KS)
Sessions (R-AL)
Shelby (R-AL)
Thune (R-SD)
Vitter (R-LA)
Voinovich (R-OH)
Wicker (R-MS)

(here is the link for votes - if you find the vote you want - click on the entry under "vote" - and you get a nice summary page - http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/vote_menu_111_1.htm

[polichick]

11. Thank-you! At least Specter voted yea, the only male R to do so.

[ProSense]

12. McCain (R-AZ)

Jerk.

[Starry Messenger]

16. I wonder what Palin thinks about that?

Assuming that she thinks...

[ProSense]

21. I don't think she does

too much thinking. :)

[Kerrytravelers]

4. I'd like the list of 36 who feel that I don't deserve equal pay.

Where is the best place to get that list?



(This is directed to anyone, I'm not ordering the OP to get me the list!) ;-)

[ProSense]

5. OK.

:)

[Uzybone]

7. Here you go, all GOoPers

http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=111&session=1&vote=00014

[Kerrytravelers]

8. Ah. Let me put on my surprise face.

Thanks for the link! :hi:

[polichick]

10. Thanks! Specter was the only male R voting yea.

[Hippo_Tron]

17. All Republicans, all men

I found it very interesting that all of the Republican women, even Hutchinson and Murkowski, voted YEA.

[jillan]

6. yeah! Excellent news :)

[Starry Messenger]

13. Wow. Of the 5 republicans who voted yea, 4 are women.

(If I'm reading correctly.) Interesting. Are these four the only female Repub Senators? I wonder what had to be going through their minds as they watched the nay votes come in from their male Repub "allies" in the Senate. If it were me, I be glad that it passed without their help, but watching with a fishy eye on my vote on anything they held dear.

[polichick]

14. I've never understood why a woman would be a Republican, unless she hated herself.

[Starry Messenger]

15. Same here.

I can only think they bought the line about fiscal conservatism. Maybe they'll start voting more independently in the Senate now. I can hope anyway!

[TheKentuckian]

18. How does one sleep at night voting against a measure like this?

This fucks have mothers, sister, and daughters that they have to look in the eye and tell that they aren't worth the same as their male counterparts. It is even worse when you consider that many of these women are head of household with pieces of crap like my sperm donor of a father, who just abandon their families.

I thought the Republiscum would hold this up, thank God some level of sense and justice appears to be returning to the world.

[pmbryant]

19. Fabulous news

And 18 months overdue, thanks to GOP obstructionism.

--Peter

[politicasista]

20. K & R

:kick:

[PBS Poll-435]

22. Wahoo! EVERY DEM!

And some of the smarter Republicans.

K/R