Washington, DC – On Equal Pay Day, Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet called on his Senate colleagues to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act to help close the pay gap between women and men working the same jobs. Equal Pay Day represents how far into the year a woman must work, on average, to earn as much as a man earned the previous year.
“Every American, regardless of gender, deserves to earn equal pay for equal work,” Bennet said. “As a country, we’ve taken a lot of important steps toward full gender equality, but Equal Pay Day is a reminder that we still have work to do. As a husband and father of three girls, I want them to be fairly recognized alongside their male counterparts for the work that they do. The Paycheck Fairness Act will help ensure that women and men are all being fairly compensated for their hard work. It’s not just the right thing to do, but it’s good for our economy. At a time when more Colorado families than ever depend on two incomes, the notion that women are making less for the same work is unacceptable. The Senate should pass this bill to ensure our laws are aligned with our ideals.”
Bennet is a cosponsor of the Paycheck Fairness Act, which would protect employees from retaliation for making inquiries or disclosures concerning employee wages. The bill would also seek to enhance data collection, research, and training with regard to pay discrimination. A small minority of senators have blocked earlier versions of the bill in previous sessions of Congress.
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