TRENTON – Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg issued the following statement today after some Republicans refused to support an override of the governor’s conditional veto of pay equity legislation (S992):
“This past weekend, millions of women, men and children across the world marched in solidarity and in support of equality and justice. They marched in Washington, D.C. and in Trenton where we held this vote today.
“I am deeply disappointed that most of our Republican colleagues failed to vote with us for just that – equality for women in this state – but I am far from discouraged. I feel more optimistic than ever that we have the momentum here and across the nation to make the progress that is needed on this issue and on many others. We will continue working on this legislation until we have a law in place that adequately addresses the issue of pay equity in New Jersey.
“There are no valid arguments against this bill and the facts speak for themselves. Women are paid 80 cents for every dollar a man makes in this state. African-American women make 58 cents for each dollar earned by their white male counterparts – the second largest pay gap in the nation. This is unacceptable, and we’re not going to stop pushing for what is fair and equitable for women in this state until we are successful in bringing about change. We owe it to our residents and to future generations.”