[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 3]
[Senate]
[Pages 3970-3971]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         NATIONAL EQUAL PAY DAY

  Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, today is Equal Pay Day, and I wish to

[[Page 3971]]

speak about the importance of ensuring women in this country are paid 
fairly.
  April 12--102 days into the year--marks the day that women's wages 
catch up to men's wages from the previous year. That is unacceptable. 
We can do better.
  Last week, the national women's soccer team filed a complaint with 
the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The complaint states that 
women are paid just 40 percent of what men are paid--despite the fact 
that our women's soccer team has long been one of the best in the 
world. The team has won four of the last five Olympic Gold Medals and 
three of the last seven World Cups. Women soccer players are even given 
smaller per-diems when they travel. Women receive $50 per day while men 
receive $62.50 per day. This shows the pervasiveness of wage 
discrimination in this country. The most successful women's soccer team 
in the world still earns just 40 cents for every dollar earned by men.
  Next, I would like to turn to my home State. Women in California are 
paid just 84 cents for every dollar earned by men. While better than 
the national average of 79 cents, California's wage gap totals nearly 
$40 billion each year in lost wages. That is $8,053 for every woman who 
works full time.
  This gap has a significant effect on the economic security of working 
families--40 percent of women are the primary or sole breadwinners in 
their families. That means 40 percent of families depend on women's 
wages to pay the bills. Every dollar women lose to the wage gap makes a 
difference.
  Here are just a few examples of what the wage gap costs families: 
$8,000 is about 1 year's worth of groceries for a family of four, 4 
months of mortgage and utility payments, or 6 months of rent.
  And the wage gap is even bigger for African-American and Latino 
women. African-American women are paid just 63 cents. Hispanic women 
are paid just 43 cents. We can't allow this discrimination to continue.
  Next, I would like to address a longstanding myth about the wage gap. 
Some say it exists only because women choose lower-paying professions 
than men. For example, women are the vast majority of child care and 
home health care workers. This is a myth.
  Even when women perform the same job as men, with the same level of 
education, the wage gap persists. For example, men who are nurses are 
paid $5,000 more than women, even though only 10 percent of nurses are 
men.
  We need to do more to close the wage gap, and I am very proud that 
California is leading the way. A landmark bill signed by Governor Jerry 
Brown last year protects women from retaliation if they ask how their 
pay compares to their colleagues. This is important because secrecy 
contributes to the wage gap. Women often don't know they are being paid 
substantially less than men.
  The bill also requires employers to justify higher wages for men who 
perform the same jobs as women.
  This law is a big step to improve the economic security of California 
families.
  While it is good news that States are addressing this issue, the wage 
gap is a national problem. It affects all American women, and the 
Senate must take action. The Paycheck Fairness Act is a good place to 
start. I have long supported this bill, which is sponsored by Senator 
Barbara Mikulski.
  The Paycheck Fairness Act is similar to the new California law. It 
would protect women from retaliation and require employers to justify 
paying women less than men for the same job.
  The bill would also make it easier for women to take legal action 
under the Equal Pay Act, including class action lawsuits.
  Under current law, it is significantly easier to recoup lost wages if 
they were denied through other discriminatory practices--like failure 
to pay overtime.
  Lastly, the bill would create a training program to help women learn 
how to negotiate their salaries.
  This is a commonsense bill, and one that is long overdue.
  In closing, President John F. Kennedy signed the Equal Pay Act in 
1963. At the time, women made 59 cents for every dollar earned by men. 
In 53 years, we have only closed the gap by 16 cents. At this rate, it 
won't be eliminated until 2059.
  Women and their families deserve better, and they can't afford to 
wait that long.
  I strongly urge the Senate to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act.

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