New Jersey Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg, Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver and Assemblywoman Pamela Lampitt are calling on Governor Chris Christie to support equal pay legislation in New Jersey as women across the state gather to participate in the 2012 Governor’s Conference for Women.

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Four bills recently passed the Assembly that would make it easier for women to get equal pay for equal work and companion legislation has been introduced in the Senate.

“In the coming weeks legislation will be introduced in the New Jersey Senate to compliment a four-bill package recently passed by the State Assembly designed to combat pay discrimination and close New Jersey’s $15.8 billion annual wage gap between working class men and women across New Jersey,” says Weinberg. “This legislation is critically needed in New Jersey because just like many states across the nation women in New Jersey continue to earn only 77 cents for every dollar that a man earns.”

Oliver explains, “Women are not some monolithic bloc to be fought over. We are not an interest group. We make up more than half of America. We are co-workers, neighbors, friends, mothers and daughters, sisters and wives and we want what all Americans want. We want hard work to pay off, and responsibility to be rewarded.”

“It’s unfortunate that our Governor has been silent on this legislation to date,” says Lampitt. “I hope that Governor Christie isn’t planning on taking the same approach that the candidate he supports for President Mitt Romney has taken which is to act as though they want to dismiss the facts and write their own version of reality when it comes to equal pay for equal work.” 

The Governor’s spokesman, Michael Drewniak says, “The Christie Administration supports equal pay for equal work.  If this specific legislation passes in the Senate and makes its way to the Governor’s desk, he’ll review and consider it.”

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