Alexander Statement on “Paycheck Fairness” Vote

Washington, D.C., April 9 – U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), the senior Republican on the Senate labor committee, today released the following statement on his vote against Senate Democrats’ so-called “Paycheck Fairness” legislation that would increase litigation and limit the ability of employers to give working parents more flexibility:

“Democrats ignore the fact that existing law protects workers from wage discrimination, and are proposing more litigation and less workplace flexibility. Republicans took this issue seriously and tried to offer several amendments that would increase flexibility and freedom for workers, but the Senate Majority Leader refused to have a real debate and proved this proposal is just an exercise to score political points.”

Alexander introduced a proposal yesterday afternoon to ensure that employers and employees are able to negotiate the flexibility many employees seek. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid objected when Alexander and other Republican senators attempted to offer their proposals as amendments.

Alexander said on the Senate floor yesterday about his proposal: “This amendment is about giving working parents more flexibility so they can go to soccer games and piano recitals. It makes it clear that if you run a dry cleaner with three people in it, you don’t have to go hire a lawyer to define a job for an employee with a child in such a way that the employee can go to the piano recital or soccer game. Instead of being about more litigation, it is about giving more flexibility for working parents.”

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