Liberals across the country joined President Barack Obama to celebrate National Equal Pay Day on Tuesday — an occasion for drawing attention to the wage gap that exists between men and women.
Obama established National Equal Pay Day with an executive proclamation on Monday, calling upon all Americans “to recognize the full value of women’s skills and their significant contributions to the labor force, acknowledge the injustice of wage inequality, and join efforts to achieve equal pay.”
The problem of wage inequality is so prevalent that even in the offices of Maine’s Democratic U.S. Reps. Chellie Pingree and Michael Michaud, men are better paid than women.
According to federal disbursement records, ten male employees in Michaud’s congressional offices made an average of $14,078 in the last quarter of 2013, while 11 women made an average of $11,695 each in the same period.
The wage inequality among Pingree’s staff is slightly less egregious. In her congressional office, 9 men made an average of $13,172 in the last quarter of 2013, while her 12 female employees made an average of $11,385.
According to federal records, Michaud’s female employees make 17 percent less than his male employees, while Pingree’s female employees make 14 percent less than their male counterparts.
Michaud and Pingree aren’t the only liberal Democrats who pay male employees more than female employees.
According to American Enterprise Institute, the pay gap in Obama’s White House is substantial.
UPDATE: A fundraising email from the Michaud campaign reads: “When women succeed, Maine and the rest of America succeeds. But as we celebrate National Equal Pay Day today, women here in Maine are still paid about 79 cents for every dollar a man earns at the same job. We must do better — and we can.
“Congress is set to take up critical legislation — the Paycheck Fairness Act — to strengthen anti-discrimination and wage laws, but Republicans in the House are dead set on blocking this important bill and continue waging their war on women.”
Apparently, Michaud can only pay women as much as he pays men if Congress commands it. Who’s waging that war on women again?
UPDATE: Not content to let Michaud ride the wage gap hypocrisy train alone, Pingree jumped on to Twitter today to complain about the wage gap. She, too, is apparently ignorant of the wage gap in her own payroll.
On #EqualPay Day, let’s make sure America’s hardworking women get equal pay they deserve. #NoMadMenPay#mepoliticspic.twitter.com/hb9oSQpcn2
— Chellie Pingree (@chelliepingree) April 8, 2014
UPDATE: The witty tweeters at the Maine Democrats office have come up with a simply explanation as to why Pingree and Michaud pay their male employees less:
MaineGOP twisting facts w/ equal pay is what continues to set us back. Need to take into account title & longevity at the job #mepolitics
— Maine Democrats (@MaineDems) April 8, 2014
That argument is, of course, precisely the one liberals ignore when they calculate the national wage gap.
@MaineGOP proving their still the #sameoldparty when it comes to favoring pay inequality & taking America backwards #mepolitics #equalpayday
— Maine Democrats (@MaineDems) April 8, 2014
<span class="dsq-postid" data-dsqidentifier="8439 http://www.themainewire.com/?p=8439">5 Comments
do as I say, not as I do.
GOP criticism would hold a lot more sway if they truly understood there was a pay gap in the first place and had a plan to fix it. This piece is simply a “gotcha” moment without context.
The politics and hypocrisy of this so called “war on woman” by those paying less to full time staffers for the same skills is discraceful
jooouli
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