[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 12]
[Senate]
[Page 16837]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          LATINA EQUAL PAY DAY

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, earlier this year we recognized Equal Pay 
Day--a day that highlights the disparaging wage gap between women and 
men in the United States. Equal Pay Day marks the day when women's 
wages finally catch up with men's wages from the previous year.
  On average, American women make about 77 cents for every $1 that 
their male colleagues make while doing the very same job. This unjust 
and immoral reality is even more pronounced for women of color.
  Tomorrow is Latina Equal Pay Day, the point at which wages of Latina 
women in America catch up to men's earnings from the previous year. It 
is today. They have had to work all of this time to catch up. The fact 
that a Hispanic woman must work a full year, plus 9 months and 30 days, 
just to make what her male co-workers make is certainly unacceptable.
  In Nevada, Latina women earn 53 cents for every $1 their fellow male 
workers make. It is not just a problem in Nevada; it is a problem 
nationwide. Nationwide they earn 55 cents for every $1 a man makes for 
doing the exact same work. All told, the wage gap that Latina women 
face results in a loss of over $25,000 a year for these women. That is 
$25,000 that could be used to help these women sustain their families.
  To make matters worse, the wage gaps that exist between Latina women 
and their male counterparts disproportionately affect Hispanic 
families. Why? Because Latina women are more likely to be the primary 
breadwinners for their families. Thirty percent of all Hispanic 
families in the United States are headed by a single mother, and 40 
percent of married Latina women earn more than 50 percent of their 
family's income.
  As legislators, it is our duty to seek the well-being of all 
Americans. Democrats don't take that responsibility lightly. We 
understand that when wages of women do not reflect their hard work, it 
undermines the strength of families and communities throughout the 
Nation. That is why we have continually and consistently fought to 
secure equal pay for equal work.
  Five times in 5 years Republicans have stood in the way of equal pay 
for women. They have stood in the way of equal wages for their own 
sisters, daughters, and wives. Even Republican women--that is 
Republican Members of Congress--have refused to address this important 
issue. The proposal that Republicans have put forward falls short of 
ensuring real equal pay protections and ignores the realities women 
face in fighting for fair pay. In so doing, Republicans have proudly 
placed their stamp of approval on unequal paychecks across America.
  The wage gap Latina women endure is a disgrace to this Nation. No 
woman should make less than a man who does the exact same work. Latina 
women deserve the hard-earned wages for which they work. They also 
deserve elected officials who will advocate on their behalf.
  As we recognize Latina Equal Pay Day, I call on Republicans to 
support a pay equity bill that empowers women to receive equal pay they 
have so rightly earned, not just because it strengthens families and 
benefits our country but because it is the right thing to do.

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