April 04, 2017

Rep. Gallego Statement on Equal Pay Day

Washington, D.C. –Congressman Ruben Gallego issued an Equal Pay Day statement in support of efforts to close the gender pay gap between men and women in the workforce. Congressman Gallego is one of the original co-sponsors of the Paycheck Fairness Act, which was reintroduced in Congress today.

Rep. Gallego issued the following statement:

"Equal Pay Day brings attention to one of our country's most important women's rights issues: wage discrimination. The gender pay gap is very real, especially for women of color, and Congress must do much more to address the problem. African American and Hispanic women make just 63 cents and 54 cents to every dollar paid to white men. This is unacceptable. If we want American families to succeed, we must take a stand against gender discrimination and close the gender pay gap.

"Equal pay is not just important for working women, it's important for the entire economy. When employees receive equal pay for equal work, it puts more money back into the pockets of low and medium income families and strengthens the middle class.

"I'm proud to co-sponsor the Paycheck Fairness Act, which gives women in the workforce the tools to fight back against wage discrimination. I plan to continue working with my colleagues to advocate for women's rights in Congress."

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