Paycheck Fairness Act Fails to Win Key Votes from Maine Senators

Paycheck Fairness Act Fails to Win Key Votes from Maine Senators: "Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins both backed last year's Lilly Ledbetter Act, which lifted the statute of limitations on wage discrimination cases. But this time, they filibustered with their party, and the bill fell two votes short of the 60 needed to advance. The tally was 58 to 41.

'We're disappointed in the vote in the Senate--both the votes of our individual Maine senators, who can really make a difference and in others who have failed to stand up as well,' says Sarah Standiford, executive director of the Maine Women's Lobby. She says the bill's failure not only hurts women, but families struggling in a recession.

'The recovery of the American middle class really begins and ends with well-paying jobs, and women are increasingly the sole breadwinners for their famlies,' she says. 'So it's really not just a matter of fairness, but also the key to a family's ability to make ends meet that women bring home the pay that they deserve.'

The federal government reports that women make 77 cents for every dollar earned by men. The bill would have made it easier for women to file class action suits against employers, and would have lifted the cap on damages. It also called on businesses to share salary information with the government.

But Maine's senators sided with the business community in opposing the measure, saying it would add to their costs."

I guess no fair pay for women is still in fashion.