Historic California Fair Pay Act Signed
Governor Jerry Brown signed another landmark Act---the California Fair Pay Act, thought to be the "toughest pay equity laws" in the United States.
He called the Act "a very important milestone," and said that "the inequities that have plagued our state and have burdened women forever are slowly being resolved with this kind of bill," He was at a ceremony at Rosie the Riveter National Historical Park in the Bay Area city of Richmond, reported the Los Angeles Times.
"Sixty-six years after passage of the California Equal Pay Act, many women still earn less money than men doing the same or similar work. This bill is another step toward closing the persistent wage gap between men and women," said Brown after signing the bill into law.
"Today is a momentous day for California, and it is long overdue. Equal pay isn't just the right thing for women, it's the right thing for our economy and for California," said Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson.
She initiated The California Fair Pay Act after a study showed that women earned 84 cents to every dollar a man earned.
The move was welcomed by rights groups across the nation. "The strongest equal-pay law in the country," is how Equal Rights Advocates Executive Director Noreen Farrell described the new law, according to HNGN.
It is not just daily wage earners and blue-collar jobs that give unequal pay. In Hollywood, the glitz world, actor Robert Downey Jr. was said to be earning $80 million last year, which is $30 million more than actress Jennifer Lawrence, who could getting $52 million.
"On behalf of the more than 19 million women and girls who call California home, I thank Governor Brown and the courageous members of the California legislature for showing that true progress to close the gender wage gap is possible," actress Geena Davis said according to The Telegraph.
Oscar-winning actress Patricia Arquette said "The (bill)received bipartisan support because women support families and drive our economy. It is a critical step toward ensuring that women in California are seen and valued as equals."
