ST. PAUL – Today is Equal Pay Day, representing the point in the year to which women have to work to make the same salary as a man in their occupation did in 2015.

While everyone has more work to do to ensure equal pay for equal work in Minnesota, let’s not forget where our elected officials fall when it comes to this issue. In 2014, 48 Republicans voted against the equal pay measures in the Women’s Economic Security Act (WESA), and since then Republicans have opposed other popular measures to improve fairness in the workplace such as paid family leave.

While debating WESA in 2014, Republican lawmaker Andrea Kieffer (R-Woodbury), called women “whiners.” Sarah Anderson (R-Plymouth) voted for the bill with reservations, saying, “we need to provide greater opportunities for women, not greater regulations.” And current Republican Congressional candidate Jason Lewis is on the record as saying that the wage gap is a falsehood.

“Equal pay day is a reminder of the work we have left to do, and that conservative Republicans have stood in the way of making progress,” said Joe Davis, ABM Executive Director. “Minnesota should be a leader in ensuring all women receive equal pay for equal work.”