Thursday, May 24, 2012

Female Staffers




Senate Dems Betray Lilly

Senate Democrats pay female staffers less than male staffers

Sen. Patty Murray / AP
Sen. Patty Murray / AP

A group of Democratic female senators on Wednesday declared war on the so-called “gender pay gap,” urging their colleagues to pass the aptly named Paycheck Fairness Act when Congress returns from recess next month. However, a substantial gender pay gap exists in their own offices, a Washington Free Beacon analysis of Senate salary data reveals.

Of the five senators who participated in Wednesday’s press conference—Barbara Mikulski (D., Md.), Patty Murray (D., Wash.), Debbie Stabenow (D., Mich.), Dianne Feinstein (D., Calif.) and Barbara Boxer (D., Calif.)—three pay their female staff members significantly less than male staffers.

Senate Dems Ready for 'Paycheck Fairness Act' Fight

Three years after supposedly accomplishing this with Lilly Ledbetter.

4:06 PM, May 24, 2012 • By DANIEL HALPER
After the Lilly Ledbetter Act passed in Congress and was signed into law, President Obama and Senate Democrats were self-congratulatory.
Obama suggests we keep "Washington" out of the arguments against his health-care plan.
Obama suggests we keep "Washington" out of the arguments against his health-care plan.
\
“We passed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act -- the first bill I signed -- so that equal pay for equal work is a reality all across this country," Obama said, praising himself and his colleagues. "We are very proud of legislation we have passed … to guarantee gender pay equity with the Lilly Ledbetter law," Democratic senator Ben Cardin said, offering himself and Democrats more praise. Senator Jeanne Shaheen, also a Democrat, likewise offered congratulations to herself: "I am proud of what we have been able to accomplish so far… the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which ensures that all Americans are paid the same regardless of age, gender, race, or ethnicity."
Nevertheless, with an election coming in November and with Republicans supposedly waging a war on women, the pay equity Lilly Ledbetter bill does not appear to have been enough--even for these very same Democrats. 

The next battle on Capitol Hill for Democrats will again be to use this women's issue for political gain.

The first stop will be to bring another pay equity bill to the Senate floor. As Senate majority leader Harry Reid, a Democrat, said yesterday on Capitol Hill, "Madam President, it is almost universally acknowledged that Republican obstructionism has reached new heights in the Senate… We could be considering the Paycheck Fairness Act, ensuring American women receive equal pay for equal work."
One wonders, of course, if the Lilly Ledbetter bill was so great, why would they need to do this drill all over again?

It's a way to raise support and funds, a senior Senate Republican aide explains. And it's cynical and destructive.

No comments: