Speaker Coughlin – ‘Equal Pay for Equal Work – Always’
Speaker Coughlin – ‘Equal Pay for Equal Work – Always’
(TRENTON) – New Jersey Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin (D-Middlesex) speaks Tuesday as Gov. Phil Murphy signs equal-pay-for-women legislation (A1) into law.
“It really is a great day for New Jersey and for the United States.
“And in case anyone wasn’t paying attention outside of our borders – as we did last week when the governor signed the automatic voter registration, New Jersey is leading the way.
“We do it again today.
“We send a clear and unequivocal message – equal pay for equal work, always. Right here.
“Now, frankly, I think it’s preposterous that we have to pass a law that does this. We know men and women do the same job, and it is fundamental to our national thinking that everybody gets treated equal, and yet when it comes to getting paid, that’s not the case for women.
“And we know how important the salaries that everybody earns are in working class families, and how they look to stretch every dollar.
“And so when we don’t pay women the same, we hurt them for generations to come, and we hurt ourselves when we do it, but today we change that.
“Today we change that dialogue and we send a message to everyone that New Jersey is the right place to be.
“We know today when we open up opportunities for women across this state, we get to offer this invitation to women in places throughout the country where they work hard and their work doesn’t seem to be valued – come live and work in New Jersey. We recognize it.”
