Cassidy’s Votes Against Lilly Ledbetter Act and Paycheck Fairness Act Threaten Economic Prosperity for Louisiana Families

BATON ROUGE — On the 50th anniversary of President John F. Kennedy signing the Equal Pay Act into law, Bill Cassidy’s votes against the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act and Paycheck Fairness Act show he is out of touch with the needs of Louisiana’s women, who earn just under 69 cents for every $1 a man earns in the state.

“Despite Louisiana ranking second-to-last in the nation for pay equity, Bill Cassidy has consistently voted against equal pay for equal work,” said Kirstin Alvanitakis, communications director for the Louisiana Democratic Party. “If he would ‘look into’ and research the facts, he would see that women in Louisiana still only make 69 cents on the dollar and make up more than half the workforce. More and more, they are also the breadwinners in their families. Ensuring women earn a fair day’s pay would go a long way toward helping support many Louisiana families. It’s sad that Bill Cassidy has chosen to side against Louisiana families.”

Today at the White House, President Barack Obama joined with advocates for equal pay from across the nation, including state Sen. Karen Carter Peterson and Sen. Edwin Murray, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of President John F. Kennedy signing the Equal Pay Act.

Earlier this year in Louisiana’s 2013 legislative session, the Louisiana House and Senate backed equal pay legislation with overwhelming bipartisan support. The bill awaits Gov. Bobby Jindal’s signature.

BACKGROUND:

Cassidy Voted Against The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. In January 2009, Cassidy voted against the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which would “allow employees to file charges of pay discrimination within 180 days of the last received paycheck affected by the alleged discriminatory decision,” according to CQ. [Vote 37, 1/27/09; CQ Votes]

Cassidy Voted Against The Paycheck Fairness Act. In January 2009, Cassidy voted against the Paycheck Fairness Act, which, according to CQ, “would require employers seeking to justify unequal pay for male and female workers to prove that such disparities are job-related and required by a business necessity. It would bar retaliation by employers against employees who share salary information with their co-workers. Workers who won wage discrimination cases could collect compensatory and punitive damages.” [Vote 8, 1/9/09; CQ Votes]

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