Sumter on Equal Pay Day

(TRENTON) – Assembly Majority Conference Leader Shavonda E. Sumter, one of the sponsors of the bill (A-1) entitled the “Diane B. Allen Equal Pay Act,” recently approved by the legislature, issued the following statement on Equal Pay Day:

“Eighty cents on the dollar adds up to thousands and thousands of dollars over the length of a women’s professional career.  This gap in pay can mean the difference between going to college or not, how much rent you can pay and even, how much you can spend at the grocery store.

“For African American and Latino women, who are paid 60 cents and 50 cents on the dollar respectively, the numbers are even more alarming.

“We are closer than we have ever been to seeing the dream of ending pay inequity for women for good in New Jersey. As a healthcare professional, a mother and as a legislator, I know what this means. Closing the wage gap is a critical issue for all women, future generations included, who aim to be the best they can be at their jobs. Women deserve to be paid fairly and equally for the work they do.”