The vote was on a motion to invoke cloture, but it fell four votes shy of succeeding. John McCain did not show up to vote on this legislation.
Here is what Johnson had to say about the vote yesterday.
"The shortsighted and wrongheaded actions of Republicans in the U.S. Senate have made it even more vital to get a real Fair Pay Act passed in New York.
My legislation, (S.3936), would offer protections to employees and add some teeth to the federal Equal Pay Act, which in the more than 40 years since its passage has fallen short ensuring equal pay for equal work.
This bill has passed the New York State Assembly every year since 2002. Instead of committing to true change that would benefit thousands of working class families in New York, these Republicans' counterparts in the New York State Senate championed a cynical piece of legislation to "study" pay inequality, which has already been the subject of countless studies, and increase fines for laws that are nearly unenforceable.
New York residents deserve more than lip service.
I remain committed to fighting to make sure that New York joins the two dozen other states that have the Fair Pay Act on the books."
The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2007 would do the following: "A bill to amend title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990, and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 to clarify that a discriminatory compensation decision or other practice that is unlawful under such Acts occurs each time compensation is paid pursuant to the discriminatory compensation decision or other practice, and for other purposes."
Here is video of Johnson arguing for the Fair Pay Act:
The federal version is named after Ledbetter, who sued Goodyear after realizing on the verge of retirement that she was not receiving the same pay raises as the men she worked with. The Supreme Court ruled against Ledbetter, arguing that employers are protected from such lawsuits if the discriminatory offense occurred 180 days or more prior to the lawsuit.
It's the legislative break, so most legislators are at home this week. Sen. Craig Johnson, D-Port Washington, is back in his district on Long Island, but he took some time out to advocate for a pet cause of his - fair pay - on Equal Pay Day.
Johnson met up with members of Women on the Job and the North Shore chapter of the American Association of University Women to hand out Pay Day candy bars (one of the most delicious commercial confections) and literature on his legislation, (S3936), The New York State Fair Pay Act, at the Port Washington Train Station on Tuesday, April 22, 2008, National Equal Pay Day.
The New York State Fair Pay Act has been trapped in committee since 2002. Johnson brawled with fellow Sen. Joseph Robach, R-Greece, over the issue of fair pay last week. Johnson pushed for and passed fair pay legislation when he was in the Nassau County Legislature.
Yesterday, Phillip wrote about the protest at Sen. Robach's office in Greece. This issue is an important one and Sen. Johnson is making sure it remains an important issue. He is taking it to Robach regarding Robach's stance on this legislation as well. That will only hurt Robach come November.
As you can see in the video below (courtesy of the Times-Union) Sen. Craig Johnson (D-Port Washington) played a great procedural card yesterday by filing a motion to petition regarding S.3936, also known as the New York State Fair Pay Act. Here is the summary of the bill, followed by the video from yesterday's events:
Enacts the "New York State fair pay act"; provides that it shall be an unlawful employment practice for an employer to discriminate between employees on the basis of sex, race and/or national origin by paying different wages.
Apparently Sen. Joe Robach and other Republicans don't want equal pay for women and minorities. Robach will face a tough challenge in November and common sense would suggest that this isn't something you want bothering you on the campaign trail.
