Women lawmakers took center stage today on Capitol Hill to demand fair pay for female workers in honor of Equal Pay Day. And the Teamsters are standing with them.

Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.), a repeated sponsor of the Paycheck Fairness Act, led the charge in urging Congress to take up and pass the legislation. The measure would help close the wage gap between women and men working equivalent jobs. The pay disparity costs women and their families $434,000 over the length of their careers.

She said:

We need to get equal pay in our law books and equal pay in our checkbooks, and to finally get rid of the harassment and intimidation women face in the marketplace when they even ask about how much pay they make or try to identify how much pay they should make. 

As it stands, women on average earn only 78 cents to every dollar made by a male. The Paycheck Fairness Act builds on the promise of the Equal Pay Act passed in 1963. It would empower women to negotiate for fair pay, close loopholes courts have created in the law, create incentives for companies to obey laws and bolster enforcement efforts.

The Teamsters are a strong supporter of the legislation. General President Jim Hoffa sent a letter to senators last fall telling them it was well past time for them to back efforts to equalize pay so that workers can better support their families.

The pay gap has barely budged in more than a decade. It hits nearly every occupation and is even worse for women of color. This not just a low-income problem. It is an every women problem. It is an American families problem.

It may be the 21st century, but for too many women it might as well be the Dark Ages. It is time for all of Congress to take a stand against this blatant inequity.