When the chips are down, you can generally count on your legislators, in the apparent belief that they represent a composite embodiment of a modern day Solomon, to make the absurd proposal to split the baby when it comes to doing the right thing.
While politics is still the art of compromise, they take it to the extreme and then never seem to understand why their action, instead of pleasing constituents, should only serve to generate pervasive anger as the appropriate response.
Case in point: Senate Bill 153 by Sen. Ed Murray of New Orleans. His bill would have helped close the gender pay gap for both public and private workers.
That certainly seems fair. If a computer is repaired, does it matter who fixed it? If a story appears in the paper, does it make any difference if it’s written by a man or woman? If a female bricklayer lays the same number of bricks in an hour as the man beside her, shouldn’t she receive the same pay considerations? The same should apply to truck drivers, sales personnel, engineers, architects, and attorneys. A woman who performs the same job as a man certainly should receive the same pay, after all. Who could argue with that?
Apparently Sen. Patrick “Page” Cortez (R-Lafayette). For some unknown reason, Cortez decided to split the baby by offering an amendment to make Murray’s bill apply only to the public sector and not the private.
Why? What possible reason could there be for the legislature to sanction discrimination against private sector female employees?
Why is such blatant discrimination against women in the private sector allowed by our legislature? All hell should’ve broken loose on behalf of private sector female employees as it almost certainly would have—and justifiably so—if Cortez’s amendment had, for example, made the equal pay bill applicable only to whites to the exclusion of African Americans.
Gov. Bobby Jindal loves to travel across the country with his message of how wonderful things are in Louisiana since he became governor. But you never hear a peep out of him about how Louisiana is tied for the second widest disparity in pay between men and women, according to figures released by the National Women’s Law Center.
Wyoming is the worst in the nation. There, women make 67 cents for each dollar earned by their male counterparts. Louisiana is not far behind. We are tied with Utah for the second widest disparity, with female employees making 69 cents for every dollar a man makes. If you are Sen. Gomez, you’d say she makes only 31 percent less than the male but if you’re a woman, he makes 44.9 percent more.
Even Mississippi and Alabama, where women are paid 74 cents per dollar made by men, rank ahead of Louisiana. South Carolina? Seventy-six cents. Arkansas and Texas? Eighty-two cents—18.8 percent higher than Louisiana.
Ouch.
While the disparity is worse in Wyoming, Louisiana and Utah, the difference is evident throughout the country. In California, for example, Women are paid roughly 85 percent of a man’s salary for the same job. The difference is the same for Nevada and Arizona.
The District of Columbia has the narrowest gap, with women making 90.4 cents per each dollar made by men in the same job.
Murray’s bill failed to get the necessary 20 votes the first time around on May 15 but it passed on May 22 after five senators—Dan Claitor (R-Baton Rouge), Cortez, A.G. Crowe (R-Slidell), Elbert Guillory (D-turned R, Opelousas), and Neil Riser (R-Columbia)—changed their votes from the previous week after Cortez’s amendment passed, 24-11.
Four of the five voted no on May 15. Guillory, the lone exception, was absent on the first vote.
Understandably, some senators like Yvonne Dorsey-Colomb (D-Baton Rouge), Troy Brown (D-Napoleonville), Norbért Chabert (R-Houma), Eric Lafleur (D-Ville Platte), and Sherri Smith Buffington (R-Keithville) voted in favor of Cortez’s amendment because it was the only way to get even the gutted version of the bill passed. Each of those voted in favor of the original bill, the subsequent amendment and for final passage.
Senators who displayed their disdain for women in general and private sector women in particular by voting against final passage included:
• Senate President John Alario (R-Westwego);
• Robert Adley (R-Benton);
• R.L. “Bret” Allain (R-Franklin);
• Conrad Appel (R-Metairie);
• Jack Donahue (R-Mandeville);
• Dale Erdy (R-Livingston);
• Ronny John (R-Lake Charles);
• Gerald Long (R-Natchitoches);
• Dan Morrish (R-Jennings);
• Barrow Peacock (R-Bossier City);
• Jonathan Perry (R-Kaplan);
• Mike Walsworth (R-West Monroe);
• Mack “Bodi” White (R-Central).
Those who took a hike and did not vote were:
• Daniel Martiny (R-Metairie);
• Gary Smith (D-Norco);
• John Smith (R-Leesville).
House members voting against the bill included:
• Richard Burford (R-Stonewall);
• Gordon Dove (R-Houma);
• Lance Harris (R-Alexandria);
• Joe Harrison (R-Gray);
• Paul Hollis (R-Covington);
• John “Jay” Morris (R-Monroe);
• James “Jim” Morris (R-Oil City);
• Stephen Pugh (R-Ponchatoula);
• Alan Seabaugh (R-Shreveport);
• Scott Simon (R-Abita Springs);
• Kirk Talbot (R-River Ridge);
• Jeff Thompson (R-Bossier City).
Staying home and not voting were:
• Wesley Bishop (D-New Orleans);
• Greg Cromer (R-Slidell);
• Jim Fannin (D-Jonesboro);
• Kenny Havard (R-Jackson);
• Bob Hensgens (R-Abbeville);
• Valerie Hodges (R-Denham Springs);
• Walt Leger (D-New Orleans).
So much for the campaign rhetoric that these good and noble public servants want nothing more than to represent all the people of their districts.
Louisiana Voice 
You do see the R after Cortez’s name, right. That is almost automatically a vote against equality of any variety. They wouldn’t have let it pass for the dwindling number of state employees had they had their way. And it’s because rich businessmen are usually also greedy Republicans who donate to dictators like Jindal. Remember, too, Jindal’s background. His parents were raised in a country where women are still often treated as property and, at least in some areas, commit suicide when their husbands die and are often the victims of public gang rape with no consequences for the criminal. Even though Jindal was born in America, children reflect at least some of the values of their parents.
If ever there was an issue of which Mary Landrieu could become the champion, this is it. Come on Mary. If you want to virtually assure your reelection, get behind equal pay legislation.
Mary co-sponsored the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act.
Research indicates that women are punished when they negotiate for a higher salary. Men who ask for raises are seen as “assertive” while women who ask for raises are viewed as “not nice.” Aside from the research, I have personal experience with this dynamic. Many male managers find it too threatening if women stand up for themselves.
New male graduates in the same field as their female counterparts earn about 7% more simply because they asked. The wage gap widens as time goes on. Women have learned not to ask. Economic justice is a foreign concept to most male legislators in Louisiana. I can’t begin to describe the contempt I have for them. My dogs have more sense than some of ’em.
As a female, I experienced this when I asked for a raise.
Twinkie makes an important and valid point. A vote for anyone with an R behind their name is a vote for 18th century social dominance and virtual enslavement, Economic equality, reproductive freedom, voting rights all are on the line when republicans rule. If they can’t win fairly they change the rules and gerrymander until they create voting districts that dilute voting strength of those who votes are not in their favor…and now they want to court those votes.
People, THINK – if you work for a living you are not going to be a millionaire. A vote for a Republican ensures your destruction. No surprise they won’t allow economic equality for women – they are even trying to back the clock and deny women access to birth control by banning birth control for all women, further enslaving women. Wonder how their own women feel about that?
Nothing has changed regarding women’s pay in the last 10 yrs, while they have entered the work place at an accelerated pace. It is still a sore subject within the dynamics women handle on a daily basis, i.e. working with men, harassment in the work place, birthin babies, contraceptives, health care, single parent, child care, etc. Yet in the grand scheme of things, they are not paid equally, and assume the greater load of responsibilities of all above. Women work, but do not lose other tasks such as laundry, cooking meals, maintaining home, paying bills, caretaker, nursery care, etc. What price we pay! Does that slap sting? Know your place, madame! What is also discerning is women rise to the top of the heap when decisions concerning their body is nbr 1. They are once again regulated by men, exercising full control over women’s thoughts and decision making processes. Declaring women incapable of exercising such tasks, and not requiring equal pay is unconscionable.
Ms. Monju I agree with the majority of most of what you write. However I suggest you paint with too broad a brush when you declare that women do all other tasks such as laundry, cooking, paying bills, etc. I’m retired for health reasons while my wife is trying to tough out two more years as an underpaid, under appreciated educator to retire with 25 years under her belt. Despite always having highly effective reviews in an A rated school she’s had enough of Jindal’s and EBRSS bs to stomach anymore. At any rate I, and there are a good number like me who are either retired, working, or unemployed, handle our home requirements. Life is as you described for a large number of women and this vote by our legislature is shameful and predictable but please do not condemn all husbands and/or boyfriends. Many of us are compassionate to our partners’ needs and share the load.
“It’s not nice to fool Mother Nature, unless of course, you are prepared for the fallout”!!
It would be interesting to see a report on gender wage comparisons in the public sector. I would guess that the gap is already MUCH smaller there than in the private sector, simply because merit systems with established pay rules generally make it difficult to pay equally qualified employees different rates. I retired last year after 30+ years of HR work in the public sector and gender was never an issue when setting pay for classified jobs. Yet the private sector can discriminate against women as they wish. One more double standard.
Equal pay is an issue for state employees also. I have experienced this.
So.. will Jindal “be forced” to raise the salaries of all his and White’s female appointees and non-state hires; or will he drop the men’s salaries to the women’s levels?
http://www.christianbiblereference.org/faq_womensrights.htm
Maybe the leges should read this link before they vote again on women’s issues! If the Governor wants to use religious rhetoric to further his national ambitions, he too should read this! To all you good, loyal, and unfaithful public servants:
Matthew 6:24 (AMP) | In Context | Whole Chapter
24 No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will stand by and be devoted to the one and despise and be against the other. You cannot serve God and mammon (deceitful riches, money, possessions, or whatever is trusted in).
I agree with Midnight 2. There is gender discrimination within the state civil service system, although possibly not as blatant as that existing in the private sector. A typical scenario would be when two equally qualified employees–a woman and a man– apply for a promotion. If both have families the nod will most often go to the man, the rationale being that he has a family to support. That ignores completely the woman who is either the sole support of her family or helping to feed, clothe and educate her children.
In almost 24 years in the state system I experienced this only once, but it was a bitter pill to swallow. For the most part, however, the degree to which the civil service system functions is largely dependent upon the particular agency and the degree to which the responsible persons are dedicated to best policy usage of the system.
Jindal will do whatever ALEC tells him to do in this matter.
How is the state going to handle this now? How about reviewing HR records to see which women are paid less than their male counterparts and making corrections?