[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 66 (Thursday, April 24, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E731]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       IN HONOR OF EQUAL PAY DAY

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. AL GREEN

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 24, 2008

  Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Madam Speaker, I wish to acknowledge and honor 
the 10 year anniversary of Equal Pay Day, a national day of recognition 
instituted by President Clinton in 1998 to raise awareness about the 
wage disparity and discrimination between men and women.
  America has made some strides in narrowing this disparity in the 
workplace, but the fight for equal pay for equal work still remains 
prevalent and pertinent today. Thirty-five years ago, when President 
Kennedy signed the Equal Pay Act of 1963, women who worked full-time, 
year-round made 59 cents on average for every dollar earned by men. In 
2006, women earned 77 cents for every dollar earned by men; the figures 
are even more unsettling for women of color. This data demonstrates 
that the wage gap has narrowed by less than half a cent per year. An 18 
cent increase over 35 years indicates a significant wage disparity 
between working men and women that leaves a great deal of work for the 
employers and decision makers of today.
  In the state of Texas, between 2004 and 2006, the average annual 
salary of men with a college degree or more was $63,000, while their 
female counterparts only received an average annual salary of $45,000 
with the same credentials. In comparison, during that same time frame, 
the national average annual salary for men with a college degree or 
more was $66,000, while their female counterparts received only 
$50,000. Therefore, the state of Texas is about 5 percent below the 
national average in narrowing the wage disparity between men and women.
  A great woman and former congresswoman from Texas, Barbara Jordan 
once said that, ``If the society of today allows wrongs to go 
unchallenged, the impression is created that those wrongs have the 
approval of the majority.'' To take the late Ms. Jordan's advice: we 
who live in today's society must not allow the wrongs created by wage 
discrimination continue to discount minorities and women.
  I ask my colleagues and employers nationwide to take up the fight of 
eliminating the wage disparity between men and women as we all honor 
the 10 year anniversary of Equal Pay Day.

                          ____________________