[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 5]
[House]
[Page 6017]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1615
                             EQUAL PAY DAY

  (Ms. CHU asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. CHU. Imagine going to work every day for decades and giving your 
blood, sweat and tears to a company and then finding out your male 
colleagues were getting higher raises and making more money for years. 
That's what happened to Lilly Ledbetter, and she is one of the lucky 
ones because she was able to prove that she was paid less because she 
was a woman. The effect of lesser pay is immense. For a single woman, 
it can mean the loss of up to $2 million over a career, not to mention 
lower pension and Social Security payments for the rest of her life.
  Today, more women are graduating from college than men, yet full-time 
working women with the same major and same degree earn only 80 percent 
compared to their male colleagues. That is unacceptable. At this rate, 
my three young nieces will be receiving Social Security before they get 
the equal pay they deserve.
  But I refuse to wait that long. That is why the Senate must pass the 
Paycheck Fairness Act which stiffens penalties for employers who 
discriminate based on gender. I stand today to urge the Senate to 
support the women of America. There must be equal pay for equal work.

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