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U.S. Sen. Harkin: Passage of Ledbetter bill
1/23/2009

HARKIN: Passage of Ledbetter Bill Will be Remembered in History with Anti-Discrimination Measures like Equal Pay, Civil Rights, Family Medical Leave and ADA

WASHINGTON, DC – Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) today issued the following statement after the U.S. Senate passed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act by a vote of 61 to 36. The Act will ensure all Americans are paid the same wage regardless of their age, gender, race or ethnicity. Harkin, a cosponsor of the measure, is a senior member of the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions and Chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee that funds labor initiatives. The bill will now go back to the House for a vote before going to the President’s desk for his signature.

“Discrimination takes many forms. Sometimes discrimination is brazen and in-your-face, like with Jim Crow and apartheid. And sometimes discrimination is silent and insidious. This is exactly what is happening, today, in workplaces across America. Ledbetter was a bad decision, and I am glad to be able to work with Senators Kennedy and Mikulski to champion this bill that will reverse the damage done by that decision.

“Some say we don't need any more laws; market forces will take care of the wage gap. But, experience shows that there are some injustices that market forces cannot rectify. That is why we passed the Equal Pay Act, the Civil Rights Acts, the Family Medical Leave Act, and the Americans with Disabilities Act.

“What we know from these and other issues is that discrimination hurts everyone. And that is why we had to end the unfair practice of pay discrimination and restore civil rights protections for workers who face discrimination based on age, race, gender, national origin, religion or disability. Women have received unequal pay for equal work for far too long, and still face significant pay discrimination – earning 78 cents for every dollar a man earns. This is simply wrong. And it is especially hurtful now when our economy is flailing and American families are struggling.

“Today the U.S. Senate came together to ensure that all workers are paid fairly, and that they have a fair opportunity under the law to fight back when they are not. For that reason, the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act will be remembered in history alongside other critical anti-discrimination measures like the Equal Pay, Civil Rights, Family and Medical Leave and the American with Disabilities Acts.”


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