Employment Discrimination Just Got Easier In Wisconsin

Yesterday Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) signed a bill repealing a 2009 law that that made enforcing equal pay laws easier, proving that Wisconsin remains among the most combative turfs in the war on women.

The 2009 Equal Pay Enforcement Act allowed individual victims of wage discrimination to bring their cases in the less costly, more accessible state circuit court system rather than only in federal court as is typically the case with wage discrimination claims. Gov. Walker had until 5:00 p.m. Thursday to sign the repeal and he did, with as little hoopla as possible.

State Sen. Dave Hansen (D-Green Bay) and Rep. Christine Sinicki (D-Milwaukee), the authors of the Equal Pay Enforcement Act, criticized Walker on Thursday for not informing the public of his actions on SB 202. “We are finally starting to see progress here in Wisconsin, yet like their counterparts across the country, Legislative Republicans want to turn back the clock on women’s rights in the workplace,” said Hansen.

The Wisconsin Alliance for Women’s Health (WAHW) tracks the issue of pay disparity in the state and reports that while across the country women earn 77 cents for every dollar that men make, it’s worse for Wisconsin women who only earn 75 cents on the dollar. That results in families in the state losing more than $4000 per year due to unequal pay.

Sara Finger, executive director of WAWH, said that the repeal was a “demoralizing attack on women’s rights, health, and wellbeing.”

“Economic security is a women’s health issue,” she said. “The salary women are paid directly affects the type and frequency of health care services they are able to access. At a time when women’s health services are becoming more expensive and harder to obtain, financial stability is essential to maintain steady access.”

Expect this repeal to come up in Walker’s recall election as both the Democratic frontrunners heavily criticized Walker for the repeal.

Related Stories:

Wisconsin GOP Goes After Equal Pay Law

Rep. Baldwin Pushes GOP On Fair Pay Law Repeal

Photo from jdlasica via flickr.

85 comments

Susan V.
Susan V6 years ago

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/705/662/633/demand-equal-pay-for-women-in-wisconsin/

Please sign petition on this issue. Thanks!

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Glenn M.
Glenn M6 years ago

Tax breaks for the“job creators,” cannot work in a “global economy.” The jobs being created are those being sent overseas. That is the incentive. Innovation and job creation won’t stop the artificial removal of jobs from the U.S. and therefore cannot create national prosperity. Education will not help either. The price differential for the educated is equally disparate and those jobs are already being sent over seas.

Corporations have over-powered our government which now believes that out-sourcing and off-shoring of U.S. jobs is inevitable and necessary with expectations that the middle class should fall on their swords. It is the underlying cause of the financial collapse and borders on national security with the loss of our middle class tax base. Yet, this nation does nothing, not even demand it be restricted or disincentivized by whatever method. International businesses are doing the UN-AMERICAN activity of destroying U.S. salaries, U.S. businesses that hire in the U.S., and as an end result, destroying the U.S. marketplace while still demanding BUSINESS ENTITLEMENTS and protections for themselves.

Infrastructure spending and tax breaks will not replace enough jobs to keep up with the hemorrhaging loss of U.S. jobs from out-sourcing over seas. Neither party will do anything about it without grass roots efforts of protest. If nothing is done we will deserve what we get and it will get a lot worse before it gets better.

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Karen Friedman
karen F6 years ago

Hopefully the recall will take hold and suceed and Walker will be out of a job. He's anti- women just like the rest of the slime in his party

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Charles P.
Charles P6 years ago

If you need any further proof that the repugnant party has a death wish, I just don't know what it could be. It is asinine to deliberately piss-off over 50% of the voting population. If you are a working person who is being denied wages and benefits merely because of your sex, how could you ever vote for a repugnant?

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Penny C.
penny C6 years ago

Sad too as I like visiting wisconstan,the people are so friendly & they have great cheese.

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Angela N.
Angela N6 years ago

thanks for the info

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Victor M.
Victor M6 years ago

¿.......?

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Ernie Miller
william M6 years ago

What a crock. seems to me like Women of the state need to take their men by the B%&ls and show them how things are going to be. They can wield more influance than them stupid cheese headed politicans know. It is time to stop buying anything Wisconsin. and put the financial squeeze on the stated from outside.

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Diana Roth
Diana Roth6 years ago

This is just outrageous.

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Charles Yheaulon
Charles Yheaulon6 years ago

What have women done to deserve this nothing,.........except for those women that voted repub.!!!!!

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