MN & WI GOP - Unequal and Separate for Women

This headline from HuffPo hit the newwire yesterday

Scott Walker Quietly Repeals Wisconsin Equal Pay Law

WASHINGTON -- A Wisconsin law that made it easier for victims of wage discrimination to have their day in court was repealed on Thursday, after Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) quietly signed the bill.

“We are finally starting to see progress here in Wisconsin, yet like their counterparts across the country, Legislative Republicans want to turn back the clock on women’s rights in the workplace,” said Hansen.

Women earn 77 cents for every dollar that men make. In Wisconsin, it's 75 cents, according to the Wisconsin Alliance for Women’s Health (WAWH), which also estimates that families in the state "lose more than $4,000 per year due to unequal pay."

Business associations lobbied in support of SB 202, according to the state's Government Accountability Board. Groups like Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce, and the Wisconsin Restaurant Association all backed a repeal.

So I thought I would do a search – just a little looky, looky.

And what I found is that the Republicans in Minnesota and Wisconsin must be drinking out of the same contaminated water fountain.

From the listing at NCSL about equal pay legislation introduced.  Interestingly enough if you check the page – Minnesota was the only state trying to get rid of equal pay in 2010 and 2011.

MN H 519 Drazkowski (R)

Title: Government

Status: Pending - Carryover

Summary: education, taxes, and employment; suspends certain maintenance of effort requirements; modifies sales tax exemption; modifies prevailing wage provisions; repeals provision regarding aggregate value of benefits for governmental unit group insurance; repeals comparable worth requirements.

02/14/2011 Introduced.

02/14/2011 To House Committee on Government Operations and Elections.

MN H 698 Drazkowski (R)

Title: Local Government

Status: Pending - Carryover

Summary: Relates to local government; repeals comparable worth requirements.

02/24/2011 Introduced.

02/24/2011 To House Committee on Government Operations and Elections.

MN S 282 Jungbauer (R)

Title: Local Government

Status: Pending - Carryover

Summary: Relates to local government; repeals comparable worth requirements.

02/08/2011 Introduced.

02/08/2011 To Senate Committee on Local Government and Elections.

And then I also found this, also introduced in 2011 (I remember it cause my representative was a sponsor) – which is an interesting bill that was introduced – something that Minnesotans wouldn’t realize what was happening if it hadn't been reported in the news.

Minnesota Republicans have introduced legislation that would repeal the 1984 Local Government Pay Equity Act (LGPEA), which directs local governments to ensure that women are paid the same as men. While local governments say reporting requirements are costly, equal rights groups say the law needs to stay intact in order to ensure fair pay, especially for women of color.

HF7/SF159 would repeal a laundry list of mandates on local governments — including regulations on part-time police officers, agricultural programs for low-income farmers and grants for libraries — but buried in the bill is a full repeal of the LGPEA.

In the Senate, the bill was introduced by Republican Sens. John Carlson of Bemidji, Mike Parry of Waseca, Al DeKruif of Madison Lake, Gretchen Hoffman of Vergas, and Paul Gazelka of Brainerd.

In the House, it was introduced by Republican Reps. Steve Drazkowski of Mazeppa, Roger Crawford of Mora, King Banaian of St. Cloud, Kurt Daudt of Crown, Bud Nornes of Fergus Falls, Kelby Woodard of Belle Plaine, Duane Quam of Byron, Bob Barrett of Shafer, Joe McDonald of Delano, Peggy Scott of Andover, Bruce Anderson of Buffalo, Glenn Gruenhagen of Glencoe, David Hancock of Bemidji, Mark Murdock of Ottertail, Keith Downey of Edina, Tim Kelly of Red Wing and Doug Wardlow of Eagan.

They are trying hard in Minnesota - to repeal this.  Is this the start of bigger things to come?

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