Week in Review 9-4-2020

 
On Monday, our nation will celebrate Labor Day. The holiday was created to honor the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country. 
 
This year, in particular, our workers deserve special honor. To all those men and women that have kept our country running during COVID at great sacrifice to themselves and their families, this is our chance to say thank you.
 
While doctors and nurses have been on the front lines, they only represent 20% of all essential health workers.
 
Millions of low-wage essential health workers, many of them women, have also been on the COVID-19 front lines. They work alongside doctors and nurses, also risking their lives but with much lower pay.
 
Women in general only earn just 82 cents for every $1 earned by men of all races, according to Census Bureau data. Since the second half of the 20th century, women's labor force participation has grown significantly, but their salaries haven't.
 
One of the first pieces of legislation the new Congress introduced was the Paycheck Fairness Act, HR 7. This bill is an important step toward closing the gender wage gap. It would among other things require employers to demonstrate that pay disparities are based on legitimate, work-related factors and eliminate barriers that make it more difficult for workers' participation in class action lawsuits challenging systemic pay discrimination.
 
The bill passed the House. But Mitch McConnell refuses to call a vote on it.
 
Labor Day also marks the traditional start of campaign season. Let's get down to work and make sure we send Joe and Kamala to the White House and JAC's other candidates to Congress. We need leaders who will prioritize closing wage gaps and ending paycheck discrimination for women.
 
 
Click here for information on voting early and requesting a mail-in ballot.