Following is the statement of Democratic Party of Wisconsin Chair Mike Tate marking Equal Pay Day, which represents the amount of time that women must work into 2013 to earn what men did in 2012.
“In dragging Wisconsin’s economy down with harmful policies, one of the first things that Scott Walker Republicans did was strip away Wisconsin’s pay equity protections.
“At the time, Republicans argued that women did not need or deserve these safeguards. Now, wages are dropping for all Wisconsinites and women are still vulnerable.
“On Equal Pay Day, we call on Scott Walker and his Republican Party to cease their opposition to equal pay for women, part of a larger War on Women that treats women as second-class citizens.
“Scott Walker is running for president. Part of the reason why President Obama emerged victorious over Mitt Romney and Wisconsin’s Paul Ryan was his willingness to proactively work FOR pay equity protections for women, even while his opponents used all sorts of justifications for the unacceptable status quo. If Walker wants to be considered a serious Republican presidential contender, he will need to change his harmful policies toward women.
“Women are much more likely to be Democrats precisely because they see through the lip service paid to women by Scott Walker and Republicans, and see the effect of policies that attack education, health care and jobs.
“Scott Walker’s opposition to equal pay for women is just the tip of the iceberg and it is high time that changed, and it frankly doesn’t matter to us whether it is because of a real change of heart, or merely because he wants to run for president.”
