Edwards Statement on Equal Pay Day

[JohnLocke]

Edwards Statement on Equal Pay Day
John Edwards for President
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
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Chapel Hill, North Carolina – Senator John Edwards released the following statement on Equal Pay Day to encourage fair pay for all Americans.

"The cause of equality and respect for women has taken a series of blows in April. On the heels of Don Imus's degrading comments and a Supreme Court decision limiting women's reproductive health choices, today reminds us that women still lack equality of opportunity.

"We must work to take Equal Pay Day off the national calendar, by putting real pay equity on the national agenda. Women earn 77 cents on the dollar earned by men; the disparity for African-American and Latina women is even more striking. While women make up less than half of the workforce, they are 60% of people working at or near minimum wage. These facts have serious consequences for families struggling to make ends meet.

"A fair and just society must reward work equally, without discrimination, and reflect the needs of women for greater flexibility in the workplace. As president, I will help parents balance work and family by expanding access to quality preschool and after-school programs and expanding family and medical leave. We must also strengthen the remedies for sex discrimination to deter wrongdoing. I was a sponsor of the Paycheck Fairness Act when I was in the Senate, and Congress should pass the law before another year goes by."

http://johnedwards.com/news/press-releases/200700424-equalpay/